Harbinger of Light: Rise from the Ashes
by TorNathan
Summary: Part II - Maleficent has Kingdom Hearts. Sora and Kairi are presumed dead but are in I'ltorien, separated for most of time by thousands of miles. Greece, Middle-earth, Rieze Maxia, and more ... these are the worlds all of our heroes must go to to take down Maleficent and her allies. Death, war, love and growth are what the heroes of light must go through to vanquish the darkness.
1. A Tower, Healing, Besieging and More

The Unknowing Herald (TUH): "Okay Nathan... you gotta lot of 'splanning to do. So get to it."

TorNathan (TN): Yep ...

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TN: Readers. I know this was to go up on May 31st, but those plans obviously changed. It is all my fault for being stupid and selfish. The reasons are my own, but I was stupid and didn't think of my awesome friends and readers. I apologize for this, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

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TN: Now, while Herald is off gaming in some invitational, I am to have the note to myself.

TN: WELCOME! This is Harbinger of Light: Rise from the Ashes! This is part two in the very large trilogy. We have estimated this book to be 80+ chapters and reach up to 800k and more. So, we hope you're ready for the long haul, because this is the longest part of the trilogy. If you need a refresher on book one, feel free to message me and I can clear things up, but I won't tell you everything word for word. I am so excited for this book, and I know Herald is. So, get ready, and have a blast!

TN: Thank you to all the readers and reviewers of book one. I implore the returning people to review this time around, for it really helps Herald and I grow and it makes the story better. Give us all your suggestions, criticisms, questions, your everything! Please help us by making this story all it can be!

TN: Special thanks to Mike, Chris, Spenser, Sri, Katy, Andre W., MJ, and Karu! I do know there are loyal readers out there who don't review (Jeans-Michael for one). I thank you, too!

TN: Super special thanks to my friend, Garce. Without him kicking my ass, putting me down, ripping me on everything, telling me I suck on a regular basis, and being an all around dick to me ... this story wouldn't exist. Thanks man, you're the best FFN writer I know.

TN: Disclaimer! We do not own Square Enix, Disney or Kingdom Hearts. We don't own Fire Emblem, DC, or whoever makes the Tales games (don't kill me Herald). We don't own Stephen King's works, like the Dark Tower. All we own are Alexia, Tor, Merideth, King, and the entire world of I'ltorien.

TN: Rated T for: Violence. Language. Alcohol. Suggestive Themes.

TN: ENJOY! Also, this chapter was all me.

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**Chapter I  
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A Tower, Healing, Besieging and Coronation**

_Radiant Garden  
__October 13, 2010_

Riku sat in a plush chair on an overhanging balcony from Merlin's enchanted house. It had been a week since everything he had ever known was destroyed. He had woken up only two days ago; Alexia was still unconscious. She had said Kefka's name … but what did that mean? Just maybe … perhaps she hadn't—

"Hey, Riku." Riku jolted for a moment and then turned his silvery head around. Roxas walked over to him, sitting himself down in another chair. Together they looked out at the blue sky, brightening from the sunrise.

"Hey, Roxas. How's Naminé?" he replied.

"She's doing better. The shrapnel didn't hit anything vital. Her leg should be fine in a few days. Thank goodness we have such a skilled healer as Aerith is," Roxas answered. Riku ran his fingers through his hair, and then leaned back in his chair. It was hard to place his emotions right now. He felt anger, sorrow, emptiness … a large mixture of things. And it seemed to boil down to Maleficent in the end.

"Have you checked on Alexia? How is she doing?" Riku forced himself to ask. He was still so unsure about what had happened after he let her go.

"Merlin is still seeing to her. Aerith, I believe, is finally with her as well. Whatever, or whoever, hurt her … they almost killed her. She's lucky to be alive," Roxas explained. Riku shuddered a sigh.

"Thank you again, for rescuing us. Had no one found us, we wouldn't be alive. Thank you," Riku said.

"Nah, don't mention it," Roxas waved at him. "Besides, now that me and Nam are whole, we gotta make some friends for real, right? What better way than saving some lives?" Roxas chuckled at it and Riku smiled.

"What about me?" Riku heard Naminé's voice. The boys turned around to see her slightly limping on her left leg towards them. Instead of her normal white dress, she wore a dark gown, probably from all the bed rest.

"Maybe you shouldn't be walking around just yet?" Roxas said. She pulled yet another chair around to sit next to him.

"Now, don't you go telling me what I can and cannot do, mister," she said humorously. She giggled, it was a light sound. "Besides … what, with what's about to happen, talking to me like that could have you ending up in serious trouble." Roxas feigned fright and they shared a laugh … but it was a hollow laugh. Nothing would be the same after the Islands. Nothing would be the same without their parents. Nothing would be the same without Sora or Kairi.

"We have a lot to do today," Riku said as he stood up and stretched. Aromas of breakfast drifted to him. He left the balcony to Roxas and Naminé, heading down to the kitchen. There weren't many people around. Axel was cooking, Leon was studying some reports with King Mickey in a corner, and on the couch, watching the news was Yuffie. He sat down next to her; her eyes were red and puffy.

"Hello, I'm Brian Storm, and we're here, now, to give the full report of the Destiny Islands. Just a week ago, thousands were murdered and evacuated from the world. Who attacked the islands is unknown at this time to the public, but it was brought to the attention of many that this was systematic and expected. A civilian army awaited the battle, only to be forced out, dead or alive. The casualty count is up to four thousand. Many are wounded, and are now finding in homes in either Twilight Town or our own Radiant Garden. We visited the Islands this morning, and these are the pictures that were taken …"

Brian Storm cut out, only for pictures to take his place. Riku's heart throbbed with pain as he looked at the pictures, Brian's voice a far away noise. The land was ashen and black. No plant life or wildlife were to be seen. The waves were black and crashed hollowly on the shore, whose white sand was now black as well. The only color left was the blue sky, but even it seemed to have given up. Just as the last picture faded out, Riku nearly fell out of his seat, trying to get a closer look.

"R- R- Riku? What is it?" Yuffie choked out. His eyes squinted as the photo went away.

"It … it's nothing. Just a glare on the photo …" But he didn't sound so sure. _There's no way it could have survived …_ he thought. He shook his head and left the couch. He couldn't stand the news report anymore. He walked over and made himself a plate of breakfast: eggs, bacon, some toast and orange juice. Axel lightly patted him on the shoulder while he went over to sit with Yuffie. Just as he finished his breakfast, he heard a startled scream from upstairs in the infirmary.

_Alexia … _

He stood up and walked upstairs, but no one else followed him.

**HoL:RftA**

Black.

Dark.

Nothing.

Alexia opened her eyes, yes both of them. She opened her eyes and all she saw was pure darkness. She felt up at her face, and nothing covered her eyes. She felt at her left one, the good one, and what she felt there made her scream. Her eye was still there, but a rigid scar covered it, running horizontally across the bridge of her nose, across the eye, and off of her face. The scar intersected with her vertical one across her right eye. Tears leaked from them as she cried. She was blind … completely.

A hand grasped her shoulder gently. She jumped from the sudden contact and bit back a squeal. She looked over, but of course … there was nothing.

"Alexia." It was Aerith's voice. She could hear Merlin behind her, muttering as he flipped through a book. The pages rustled as they touched each other. It was old parchment, faded … almost ancient.

How did she know that?

"Aerith … w-w- what happened?" she muttered. Aerith sighed and sat next to her.

"Roxas and Naminé found you and Riku next to … next to some dear friends of ours who died. The islands were evacuated and then destroyed by Maleficent. But Alexia … who did this to you?" Aerith said.

_Riku … _she wanted to say. She rubbed her hands.

"It was Kefka. He killed those people and then turned on me," she lied to Aerith. Aerith breathed heavily, shuddering in sympathy. Her cool hand slowly grazed Alexia's shoulder. Her pulse beat quickly in her palm.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Aerith said. "But, Merlin believes he'll be able to fix your vision in your left eye where the damage was so recent. He's been studying about it in a book his granddaughter brought to him once upon a time."

"Yes, yes, quite a time ago. And it would do Mer some good to bring me something that I didn't have to translate! Confound-it-all, that girl …" Merlin seemed to mutter to himself as his aged hands flipped through more pages.

"Aha! Here it is!" he shouted in joy. He scurried over on padded slippers, sitting the book down in Aerith's lap. "Okay, Alexis-"

"Alexia," she corrected.

"Bah, whatever," he replied. "I'm going to give this a whirl and see what happens," he told her. That didn't sound too reassuring. Actually, it sounded pretty bad.

"Are … are you sure you just couldn't have your granddaughter come in and-"

"No, my dear, I'm afraid not. It's up to me, so let's just go ahead and do this!" he exclaimed. The door opened and Riku walked in, she could smell his cologne. Merlin grasped the sides of her head at the temples and a deep rumbling filled his chest as he hummed. He began muttering. At first, it was unintelligible, just fragments of words. But as he continued, they cleared into full words, but in another language … something ancient and powerful. Tension filled the air, powerful waves of energy. She felt the cognition pulse through his hands and into her body. A burning sensation filled her mind, as if her were lighting her brain aflame. She bit back a small yell as a flare of pain arched through he head. Something … flickered. Merlin's voice grew in pitch and volume, roaring in her ears. She could hear Aerith's subtle breathing, Riku's tapping foot. Merlin roared the final words and her head was thrown back from his hands in a concussive explosion.

Silence.

Her left eye opened and blinked. She could see … but it was … different.

"Well my dear, tell me what you see?" Merlin asked. She looked at him. She could see his body, but no fine details. The world was black and shadowy. She could see the rough frames of cabinets and chairs. Merlin's body seemed to glow white and blue. She could see the etched lines of his face, dark throughout. His eyes glimmered with a golden power. Through his body she could see his heart beat; every time it did was like a pulsing signal in an electric board. His heart was a bright white light. His finger tips glowed blue with powerful energy.

Aerith's body glowed with a pure golden light. Her eyes radiated green, like the love of nature. Her heart was also white as it beat through her body. She exhaled heavily, and Alexia thought she saw her breath, a light gray, curl from her lips. Riku was a shroud of darkness, cracked with light. His heart was shadowy, but she could see a powerful brightness hiding within it. His eyes held a deep power and uncertainty, a faded and washed out blue.

She looked around and could see the outlines of structures: chairs, walls, door frames. Everything was very dark, except for the auras of people. The physical world was just dull and kind of there … nothing like the world of senses.

So she explained everything, using Merlin's aura as a reference. Merlin nodded, but his face was grim.

"Well, it may not have been the intended result, but the good news is: you can see. Differently, yes, but by George it's there," he said. "Alexia, do you know your lineage?"

It seemed like an odd question. Why would he want to know anything about her ancestors. She looked at him and could see his brain, a million different lights of all sorts of colors flickering rapidly.

"I never knew anyone older than my Pappy," she answered truthfully.

"Hmm …" he muttered, scratching his wiry beard in thought. She looked up at him hopefully. "From what you've told me, my dear … I believe what you're seeing, this world of senses, auras, knowledge, emotion and _true sight_ … it has a name."

"Do you know the name?" she asked.

"W- why of course I do!" he proclaimed, pointing a finger to the roof. "It's called Eagle Vision."

"What?" she dumbly asked.

"I will explain it to you later, but for now, just go and take a walk or something, stretch your muscles and get accustomed to this new sense. It will take some time, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it," he told her. "And it seems you happen to have a heightened version of this, which is unprecedented to my knowledge. This could be a gift of Anuwëy … or a curse."

"Anu-what?" Alexia, Riku and Aerith asked simultaneously.

"Oh nothing," he muttered before turning back to more book work. Aerith walked over to his side after a last pat on Alexia's shoulder. Riku immediately walked out, leaving her to sit there. She blinked a few times, hoping that it was a dream or that she would bat away this new sight … but that didn't happen. She stood up and walked out of the room and down to her bedroom in Merlin's enchanted house.

She went straight to a mirror and looked at herself with wonder. She had a white aura, streaked with purple and black. Her eyes did not have any luminescence, but her brain was a spectrum of vibrant colors and wavelengths. It was her new senses taking over to make up for her blindness. She shook her head and walked away from the reflection. She headed downstairs slowly, getting accustomed to the new sight. It was good that she could see the outlines of physical objects, because that made it easy for her to avoid many collisions.

When she stepped outside into the bright day, it was nothing like she had ever expected. The world was still shadowy, but she could definitely tell it was day, just like she should be able to tell it's night when that would come. All the people around her … they all had different auras and colors and emotions. She saw a boy that had an orange aura flickering with red and maroon, and she could immediately tell, without a doubt, that he was guilty of something. The world hit her hard, but Merlin said it would be hard at first. So she decided to take a walk to a residential district, because they always had beautiful gardens.

She walked down the cobblestone paths of roses, daises, tulips, bunches of lavender and overhanging cherry blossom trees. She could see the scents drifting through the air and the colors glowed off the petals of the flowers. Every step she took on the stone gave off blue sparks, and she felt the energy of the garden thrum around her. There was a iron-wrought bench next to a fountain. She sat down on this and looked around. Before she saw him, she sensed Riku and then felt him sit down next to her. She tensed and then turned his way, her left eye open, as always.

"To the point … was it Kefka?" he asked. She nodded. "Okay, I believe you. And with that, I'm sorry about what I did to you. I don't expect you to forgive me, but-"

"I do," she said. He looked quizzically at her. She was grateful she could still read facial expressions.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I forgive you. I deserved what happened to me. And I don't deserve the mercy you're already giving me," she replied.

"I forgive you, Alexia, because I was used by her as well," Riku said. "That doesn't mean I have to like you anymore, or trust you anymore. I feel you can redeem yourself … but it's going to be a lot of work," he said. She nodded in understanding. Guilt welled inside of her, but there was no changing the past. She would have bite it all back and keep moving forward. And she had lost the only friend she ever had. All of it was her fault.

"Thank you, Riku," she simply said. The blue sky seemed dark in this shadowy world, but she could see tufts of white cloud drift in the air. "I …" she began, still looking up, "I want to stay here. I want to stop Maleficent."

Riku bent forward and rubbed his face. "No one can simply change like that Alexia. You can't go from being a traitor to an ally in a flash."

"Will you accept me?" she asked quietly, almost meekly. He looked at her for a good five minutes in silence.

"Part of me says to never trust you again, to never befriend you again. But, that part of me is small. The bigger part of me says that there is good in you, and that I should give you another chance. I, personally, will accept you," he explained.

"And what of the others?" she asked him.

"I will tell them nothing. That is for you to do on your own," he told her. She nodded and fixed her hair.

"Thank you, Riku," she replied, and without thinking, she hugged him. She felt him tense under her, but his arms slowly wrapped onto her back. He patted her shoulder blades a couple of times before they broke away.

"You're welcome, Alexia. I believe you can change," he said, standing up and stretching.

"And why is that?" she asked in full seriousness.

"Because I changed," Riku replied. "Come on, let's enjoy the day. I have to leave today, but now it's we, not just me."

**HoL:TS**

Roxas' wet lips left Naminé's as Aerith, Yuffie and some other woman took her away to get ready. She mouthed that she was sorry and that she loved him before being ushered out the door and to who-knows-where. He sighed and relaxed, leaning back into the couch of Merlin's main room on the first floor. Naminé was all that kept him somewhat happy right now, because Sora and Kairi were still missing. He had overheard King Mickey talking with Leon, and today at the ceremonies, they were going to be pronounced dead. Roxas did not believe it, but it would put the citizens at rest, a final answer on the matter. Even though he was not connected to Sora anymore, he was still his twin, you could say. Roxas could just feel it in his new heart that Sora was alive … somewhere.

Riku, Alexia and Tidus were leaving soon, this very day. Roxas, Naminé and Merideth however, were to stay in Radiant Garden until further instructed. Well, Naminé _had_ to stay, but Merideth and himself could still be ordered at any moment to go on a mission. His mind raced at all these thoughts, and everything was still so scary, even a week later after Destiny Islands. A mass funeral and mourning had been conducted two nights after, and the rest of the time had been spent settling people in Twilight Town or in Radiant Garden. Roxas assumed he would be sent to work in the residential districts, or the empty places where the new ones were to be built. But that didn't happen.

"Roxas, could ya please come 'ere?" King Mickey asked from across the room. Roxas stood up, not even asking questions. He knew not to displease royalty.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Roxas said as he walked over. King Mickey smiled at him warmly, and chuckled.

"Gee, ya don't have to be so formal with me," King Mickey waved as he said. Roxas would have laughed at his own face, and so did everyone else that was gathered there: Mickey, Leon, Merlin and Tidus. Roxas blushed red, but a smile crept onto his face.

"O- of course, Mickey …" he said hesitantly.

"There ya go, buddy." Mickey replied. "Now, to business." He unfurled a scroll that had a lot of whiskery and scratchy notes written all over it. A few drawings of people and places, and battle plans. The thing was a depository for words and randomness.

"Merlin and Leon made these notes-"

"That explains that," Roxas muttered.

"-and so he can read it," Mickey finished, handing the scrawl to Leon.

"We have character profiles for each of our enemies. Maleficent is really obvious. She's the ringleader of group and she wanted Kingdom Hearts. What she plans to do with it now … we don't know, but-"

"The Dark Tower," Roxas blurted.

"The what?" Mickey asked, intrigued.

"When S-" he paused, "when Sora and I fought her, she mentioned taking over the Dark Tower and destroying someone called Gan," Roxas explained. Everyone was just as confused as he was, well, except for one person.

"Oh my, this is bad," Merlin said, hushed.

"What is the Dark Tower, and who is Gan?" Mickey asked.

"The Dark Tower is something so complex, it would take me hours to explain. In short, it's the nexus of, well, EVERYTHING!" he proclaimed. "It is the center of not just this universe, but ALL universes. All worlds. Even Kingdom Hearts is connected to it, and this Tower is more powerful than Kingdom Hearts could scarcely be. This Tower is the beginning and end of all worlds and all lives. Everything serves it, whether they realize it or not. It is the connecting force that holds all the worlds together."

"But I thought the worlds were disconnected?" Roxas asked.

"Yes, they are, but physically. Even if they are not one whole world like they used to be, they are still CONNECTED in a very infinite and finite sense. You cannot simply rip the fabric of time and expose the void. The Dark Tower holds everything together and determines all fate. It can also create and destroy anything. Even light and dark."

"But that's impossible," Leon said, shocked.

"Don't be so sure, my boy," Merlin replied. "The Dark Tower is the most powerful thing to ever exist, and if Maleficent wants it, then we are in serious trouble. And if she gets it, then there will be no hope."

"Why haven't I ever heard of this before?" Mickey asked.

"It's not common to discuss it, for it is lost to memory and time. Yen Sid probably never thought it necessary to teach of it to you, and for good reason. It's doing just fine on it's own. The Gunslingers guard it."

"The who?"

"A kind of knight, oh it's nothing, Roxas. Guardians of the Tower," Merlin said.

"Okay … but who is Gan?" Leon asked.

"Well, Gan was a god," Merlin said simply.

"_Was?_" Roxas asked, not liking the hearing of the word in the past tense.

"Yes. Once upon a time, there were the gods Gan and Anuwëy and … well … that is a story for another time, for that is a long tale. Just know that Gan IS the Dark Tower itself and that the Dark Tower is also Gan," Merlin explained.

"Oh my brain hurts," Roxas muttered.

"I feel ya," Mickey said.

"Okay, so in short, The Tower is super powerful and Maleficent wants it for evil?" Tidus asked.

"Pretty much," Merlin said.

"Got it."

"Anyway," Leon continued. "Maleficent is the leader. Sephiroth from what we know is working for her for power. In exchange for helping her, he gets power. He's mainly her doer."

"What's he need the power for?" Roxas asked.

"That we don't know about," Leon said. "We don't understand most of the motives, but we know their parts to play, which is still a lot. Okay … Kefka Palazzo is in the same boat. He wants power, and to control his home world, no doubt. Or maybe to control multiple. He's from a far off, unknown world. He's insane and reckless, also the demolitions expert of her team.

"The Joker, whose real name we don't know, is Kefka's brother. He is the mastermind behind all the plans. While not very useful in fights, he is clever, extremely intelligent, and a force to be reckoned with. He is just as crazy as Kefka.

"Albert Wesker. The scientist. He has been the one modifying the Heartless, making them better and stronger. Now that he too has the influence of Kingdom Hearts, his combat abilities are immeasurable. He, too, is very intelligent. His past world is not known, but it was definitely technology based.

"Hades is pretty simple. He wanted Olympus and now his reign has spread to the rest of surrounding Greece. That world is under his dominion and his own army of Heartless."

"Who's watching the dead while he's away?" Tidus asked nervously, knowing he was going to be in Greece soon.

"We have no idea," Leon replied.

"Next is the man Mickey fought: Ganondorf. He is from a world known as Hyrule, which Merlin informed me about. It's a medieval based world where he now reigns supreme, no doubt. I assume that is all he wanted, was just the power to control his own world.

"As for Muzét … we know nothing," Leon simply said.

"Well this was a pleasant coffee break," Tidus joked halfheartedly.

"I thought ya needed to be more involved, Roxas. That's why I'm gonna to let ya be the Queen's personal assistant and help her take care of any and all official matters. I want you to be a very important part from now on," Mickey said. Roxas blushed again.

"I'm sure Queen Minnie has better people for that," Roxas said.

"Oh no, not her …"

**HoL:RftA**

"Ah, ouch! Do you want me to not breathe?" Naminé asked as Aerith and Yuffie tag-teamed her corset, tying it very tightly, bringing her stomach in and making her … more noticeable. Her face reddened at the fact, or maybe it was the lack of oxygen.

"How do people breathe in these?" Naminé gasped. They had finally finished tying it. All of this seemed to so unreal, all of it seemed like it shouldn't be happening her. This is something that happened to … well … not her.

"Okay, step one is done," Yuffie said, wiping sweat from her brow.

"S- step one?" Naminé whispered in fear.

"Oh yeah, we have tons of work left, right Yuna?" Aerith said. Yuna was the other young woman. She was very quiet, cute and elegant. She seemed to be royalty, just without the looks. She had plain shoulder-length brown hair. She wore a simple dress of white around her chest. It revealed bare shoulders, but draped over her arms in long folds. A blue dress ran from her waist down and the two pieces were connected by a golden belt with a rose on it. Two tassels dangles from the roses.

"Oh yes. I'm so glad to be back to normal now. I hated how Maleficent had warped my appearance, my personality, my everything. Haha," she giggled, covering her mouth.

"What's so funny?" Yuffie asked.

"Payne still wants treasure," Yuna explained before bursting into laughter. Naminé didn't see the humor, and neither did Aerith of Yuffie, but they laughed along with her. It was hard to be down around such an up and happy person.

"Anyway, we have to put the dress in order now that your underwear is on. Now, we're here to do the hair, makeup and nails. But they're here for the dress," Yuffie said as the godmothers fluttered in, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather.

"Oh deary, you look beautiful," Merryweather said in her gruff voice.

"Yes she does," Fauna said.

"Girls we have some work ahead of us," Flora said.

"Why?" Naminé asked as her friends went to sit down and wait.

"We always find a dress to match the beauty of the wearer, but this is going to be hard with a young woman like you," Flora explained. Naminé blushed some more.

"Hmm, I have an idea," Merryweather said. "It should be blue."

"Oh no, not this aga-"

"More pink," Flora argued, interrupting Naminé.

"How about a shade of green?" Fauna suggested.

"How about you make something together?" Naminé asked. They considered it.

"Yes, we argue about color too much. Here we go!" Flora, Fauna and Merryweather blasted Naminé with their wands all at once in a spray of color and magic. When it cleared they spun her on her platform to face a magically conjured mirror. She gasped.

"Oh my … I'm- I'm …"

"Beautiful," Yuna said from behind.

The dress Naminé was now wearing was astonishing. It left her shoulders bared and her arms down to the elbow. Her cleavage was barely exposed, perfect for public. It fit her perfectly. It was long, easily covering her feet and dragging a bit on the floor. It was big and puffy after the waistline. From the waist up, it was sleek with no folds or wrinkles. It was a dress that was so lightly golden it was almost white. A light blue heart was designed on her stomach beneath the breasts. Lines traced from the stomach to wrap around and to her lower back, where they connected and protruded as their own materials, tied together in a braided, blue knot that rested on the puffy part. Her back was bare and exposed. The big part of the dress was folded and cascaded down to her feet to meet a snow white trim at the hem of the dress. It seemed to sparkled like the sun's reflection of off a clear lake when she moved it. She wore long white gloves that ran to her elbow. And she wore a necklace that …

"Oh my god," she said. She loved the necklace.

"We thought you would like that," Merryweather whispered, nudging her with an elbow.

"I really do," Naminé answered.

"It has a special ability for you to find out," Fauna said.

"Quick! An enemy!" Flora shouted. In a flash, her dress had been replace with leather armor and her Keyblade flashed to her hand. When she noticed this, she forgot about the enemy and her dress returned.

"Now calm down. Think of wearing your normal clothes," Fauna said. She closed her eyes and in another flash, her clothes changed. Instead of her normal white dress she had always worn, there was now a better dress. It was still white and still very plain. Instead, it did not have spaghetti straps. It had very short sleeves that cut off at halfway down the bicep. And it was longer, going down to her ankles.

"And now back to your special dress," Merryweather said.

And flash, royalty.

"What just happened.

"Well, now you never have to buy clothes again, really. We made it to where you can manipulate your dress to whatever you want at anytime you want. Battle armor, but only our basic leather set, If you want something more, your going to have to get it yourself. You have this special occasion dress. Your plain dress for normal wear. These are your three defaults until you unlock your own drives like Sora, and once you unlock a drive, it stays connected to you through your Keyblade. If you want more clothes than your white dress, then you're going to have to buy those to. But now you have a special dress, a plain dress, and leather armor at all times," Flora explained.

"Thank you so much," Naminé said, trying not to cry from all the kindness they had shown her.

"No problem at all, sweetie. Just ask anytime," Fauna said. "Now, we have to find Roxas. He gets some special armor from us." And in a flash, they were gone.

"Wow, you look fine," Yuffie said.

"Very beautiful," both Aerith and Yuna said.

"So, how do you want your hair?" Yuffie asked as she summoned a large crate of hair … stuff in a puff of smoke. Naminé looked at herself in the mirror again.

"Just straighten it," Naminé said.

"Are you positive?" Yuna asked.

"Yes," Naminé replied. Aerith grabbed the straightener and waited for it to heat up.

"Okay, how do you want the nails done?" Yuffie asked.

"No fake ones," Naminé told her.

"Okay. Any paint?" Yuna asked.

"No, just a plain, clear top coat," she answered.

"Well okay," Yuffie said as she began to apply the clear top coat.

"Makeup time," Yuna said.

"Just lightly," Naminé said.

Naminé looked out to the noon day, not a cloud in the sky. The castle had finally been connected to the rest of Radiant Garden. It was now beautiful and freshly white. All the canyons had been filled in and everything had been leveled out. It seemed that it had moved right up to the rest of the Garden, as if by magic. The courtyard stretched out before it, a large flat area of whitewashed cobblestone. Fountains were along it, and gardens and trees and, well … life. It was a beautiful castle now. Yuffie noticed her.

"No, it's not magic," as if she had been reading her mind. "When it was finally cleared of Heartless, it finally reconnected to everything else. It's finally a part of the Garden again. It's so nice to have it up close again."

"Must be …" Naminé whispered as the girls finished their work on her.

"You're gonna make Roxas' brand new heart stop, you know that?" Yuffie said.

This time Naminé started the fits of laughter for everyone.

**HoL:RftA**

Roxas, like Sora, never took his necklace off. It slapped off of his bare chest as he stepped into his room from out of the shower, still naked and somewhat wet, wrapped in a towel around his waist.

FLASH!

Floating before him were the three godmothers. He became more red than a tomato, blood, a rose, anything that was red. He shamed the color. In another flash and brandish of their wands, the godmothers dried him and he was in his normal clothing.

"Y- y- you didn't see anything, right?" Roxas asked, his heart beating very quickly. The godmothers giggled at his expense.

"No, we didn't. We're here to change your clothing, if you want," Flora said, still giggling.

"Nah, I'm fine with my clothes, really," Roxas replied. They flicked their wands and he felt his necklace glow hot against his skin and then it cooled.

"Just in case you change clothes then, one day, we just gave you the ability to form drives. Once you learn one, it connects to you through your Keyblade. Also, imagine a shield upon your arm," Merryweather explained. He did and then it appeared on his arm.

It was a standard knight's shield, well, at least in shape and design. It was metal and polished. A blue trim laced the outside and in the center, in black, was the insignia of King Mickey, his head.

"Now, that is normal shield. You can summon and dismiss it at will. It glows faintly in dark places, it can block physical and magical attacks of all basic types. Like, it can efficiently take care of elemental attacks, but a Flare spell or something worse would hurt you more than normal. It will block almost all physical attacks to a degree. A 500 pound axe swung by a giant is still going to hurt. But a magical flail or morning star? You should be fine. It also is powered by light, and works well against creatures of dark. If you focus all of your power into it, it can unleash an amazing spell, but that is for you to figure out," Fauna explained.

"Thank you, fairy godmothers." He even bowed. They giggled once more and vanished, and so did his shield.

"Roxas!" Riku called from outside the door.

"Yeah!? Come in," Roxas replied.

"It's time for the ceremonies," he said. Roxas nodded and followed him out the door. They ran down the stairs and met with everyone else. Roxas looked around at the gathered people, some he knew and some he didn't. He saw Tidus eying a girl who he didn't know. She was giggling shyly with two others and Yuffie and Aerith. Leon, Cloud, Axel and Riku were there. Alexia was still adjusting to her new sight with Merideth by her side. Merlin was with King Mickey. King Mickey dressed in some of his royal robes and then they all filed out the door with the rest of Radiant Garden, all heading towards the castle. King Mickey took Tidus with him to some place as Merlin led the party to the civilian grounds so they could watch from a good seat.

"This is gonna be a long day," Roxas muttered to Riku. They both laughed as the the thousands of residents filed into the courtyards. On either side of the middle aisle (which was massive) were rows of elevated stands, like gymnasium bleachers. Leading to the castle were more stairs and a projecting landing. This is where guests of honor would speak, men would be knighted, the whole deal. Space spread out behind it to hold whoever may stand there. A banner fell from this protruding platform straight to the ground, steps on either side. The banner was red with a gold trimming. Mickey's black symbol was emblazoned in the center. The wind stirred it.

"Well, now we wait," Riku said, as they sat down close to the royal clearing and platform. Best seats in the house, Roxas thought.

**HoL:RftA**

"Tidus, ya look great!" Mickey said. Tidus looked himself in the mirror. His new armor shone brilliantly. It was metal and pure white. The pauldrons had an extra sheet of metal on them. His armor was etched and grooved to also look good as well as defend. He wore a chainmail under a thick chestplate. His bracers and gauntlets flexed well with his body, bending to his will. His leggings bent at the knee perfectly and boots felt lightweight, yet powerful. All of the white edges of every piece of armor were trimmed in royal gold. His shield was was the classic shape and had King Mickey's symbol on it. His chestplate, however, displayed his own symbol. The one his father had left him. A wicked, jagged and sharp 'J.' He looked at it, its black form against his pristine white armor. And then there was his cape. It was black on the inside and gold on the outside. His own symbol was on the outside in black. Brotherhood gleamed in his right hand.

"Yeah, I do look awesome!" Tidus agreed. Outside the room, brass blared and drums rolled, people shouted in joy. The parade was beginning.

"This sure is a lot of attention," Tidus said to Mickey as they exited out into the dazzling sunlight.

"Welp, a new queen, the first in such a long time is a big event. Also, a knighting and promotion at the same time, as well as just telling everyone what's up … it's cause for such an occasion," Mickey explained as they took their spot towards the front of the parade. Naminé was escorted to the back. Nobles and rich folk filed in between, musicians and a marching band marched along either side of the people.

"But a parade?" Tidus questioned further.

"We gotta give people something to be happy about, right?" Mickey questioned back. Tidus felt stumped, having to agree with the King. Confetti seemed to rain from nowhere, streamers flying and flower petals falling. Mickey was waving at the crowd and smiling brightly. Tidus took after him and tried to look as happy and bright. He felt he did a good job, except he stumbled over his own foot at one point. A trickle of laughter broke through the crowd, but Mickey assured him it was all in good faith. The people liked him.

"Oh boy, let's hurry this up," Tidus muttered.

**HoL:RftA**

Naminé would have blushed harder if it were possible. Having all this attention for her, Tidus and Mickey seemed like quite a lot. But when Yuna explained to her that it was all necessary for the public, well, she had to agree. Both Yuna and Mickey had said that giving the people hope and something to live for was the most important part of the war, aside from winning it, of course. But Naminé a queen? It was just so unreal, no matter how much "evidence" Merlin, Yen Sid and Mickey had.

Luckily, no one could see that she was wearing her normal sandals under her amazing dress. She was scared out of her skin at the sight of the three-inch spikes Yuffie had brought for her. She should have felt scared and alone in a sea of people she didn't know. Well, she didn't know any of the nobles around her, but she wasn't scared or alone. She was surrounded by people that already loved her because they expected her to make things right. And she would.

She wasn't afraid.

She was ready.

The nobles parted way for her as she slowly followed Mickey and Tidus up the stairs. Each step she took, she felt the eyes of the crowd bore into her as the fanfare of the music ended. Applause died down and then it was just Mickey, Tidus and herself standing before all of the residents that made it out, and they were in the thousands. The day went quiet except for the wind. She glanced over at Roxas, who was with the rest of the gang, sitting close to the platform. His jaw was open and then he mouthed: _You're beautiful_.

_Thank you._

"Men, women, children … residents of the great Radiant Garden!" Mickey began, putting on his serious voice, his king stature. The crowd roared.

"Yes, yes, we have a lot to talk about!" And his normal voice was back. "As a lot of you know, or don't know, we have a new Queen to assign. Now, a lot of you are probably wonder why and how she is queen, or new and fair Naminé!" Mickey said. The crowd roared with approval.

"And it seems a lot of you don't mind. But, she is a twin sister of Kairi, who we have deduced as the daughter of the great Ansem the Wise. Simple as that! And since our tragic loss, Naminé is all that is left of the royal line. So, let us get under way!" Mickey told to all, which was replied with traumatic rejoice. Mickey motioned for her to move forward. Mickey flourished his Keyblade and he must have known Naminé well, because the crown was a simple circlet of silver, intricately wrought. At the center was a large, smooth sapphire. He presented it to Tidus so he may crown her. Tidus walked up, bowed his head and placed the crown upon her brow. It fit her perfectly.

"May I introduce you to your new Queen, head of Radiant Garden, and director of all affairs, Naminé! Daughter of Ansem the Wise!" Mickey squeaked. "HOHO!" The entire crowd boomed back with happy applause.

She walked up to the front of the platform and silence took the area. She breathed in, and exhaled slowly.

"I would love to thank you all for so warmly accepting me into this world, and for laying such trust into me. I have plans ready to make Radiant Garden the best it has ever been, to take it into its Golden Age. The war on Maleficent will end swiftly, and we shall come out on top, only if we stand together, side by side and fight together as family, like our ancestors before us. With my sister, Kairi, and my close friend Sora pronounced dead …" she hesitated, pain swelling her heart.

"With that news, we shall grow stronger, avenge them, and build a new world! We will fight for honor, justice, and all the people of all the worlds! The age of darkness shall fall, and light shall come forth. We will rise from the ashes of death, and build anew!"

The crowd deafened her and she stepped away for Mickey to talk once more. She never knew she had such an ability for speaking. Was the royalty that deep in her blood? It had come naturally, the words, the flow.

"After that speech, she will make a fine queen! And now, it is my joy to tell you all that my army, is no longer my army. It is also Naminé's. We shall all share one army, to fight Maleficent. An army for Disney Castle, Radiant Garden, Twilight Town … all the worlds. And with that, I need the help! Help me welcome my new general, Tidus!" Mickey announced. Applause greeted Tidus as he walked forward.

"Kneel, please," King Mickey said. Tidus did so and Mickey's blade flashed to his hand.

"I, King Mickey Mouse, hereby knight thee a royal knight of the Army of the Worlds, in the fight against Maleficent. You, Tidus, are now my general, and a prime leader of mine and Naminé's army. Do you accept?"

"Yes."

"And so it is done!"

And the ceremonies ended with joy, hope, and a flickering fire in the hearts of many.

**HoL:RftA**

"Naminé, you were fantastic! I never knew you could speak like that!" Roxas exclaimed once they were in Merlin's house. He ran up and hugged her, spinning her around him and then kissing her. She was in her plain dress now.

"I didn't know I could either. It just kinda came to me," she replied.

"I like your necklace," he said gently. It was an exact copy of his own necklace.

"Yes, I love it, too," Naminé said.

"I think it's pretty cool I'm dating a Queen," Roxas joked, elbowing her as they walked over to the sofa.

"I can't believe I'm moving into the Castle and that you're my personal assistant. I think Mickey did that on purpose," Naminé told him.

"What was your first clue?" Roxas chuckled. They laughed together and she cupped his jawline.

"I love you, too much, Roxas," Naminé nearly purred.

"I love you, too, Nam," Roxas replied.

"So, I have to plan a lot for the Garden," Naminé told him.

"Like what?" he asked.

"The residential districts have to be built and overseen, the town defenses need to be raised, the inter-world traffic has to be regulated now that Maleficent has shattered the world order, and I have to work on politics … Mickey is going to form a council to oversee the war, and maybe to keep the council around even after the war. I'll be a apart of it," she explained to him, letting his arms hold her close, his hands rub her biceps.

"That's a lot. And I'm here to help you in any way I can, right?" Roxas asked.

"Yep," Naminé replied.

"Oh, I can think of a few ways, haha," he joked. She slapped him across the face lightly, but laughed with him, kissing him afterword. They laughed and relaxed for the day until the real work started the next day.

**HoL:RftA**

"You ready, Alexia?" Riku asked from outside her door. He had his travel bag, a big duffel bag full of supplies and different clothes and 50,000 munny.

"Yeah, is the army already ready?" Alexia asked as she opened the door. She was wearing a single piece of clothing (minus her underwear and cloak). It was sleeveless and white, going down to her mid-thigh. It was like a dress mixed with a leotard, skin conforming, but soft and durable. The collar popped up to protect her neck, and it was golden-trimmed. It had a golden button to keep it together. Her normal black cloak was attached to the back by the shoulders. It swooped down to her feet which were in combat boots, jet black. Her naginata rested between her cloak and the one piece. She held onto her duffel bag.

"Let's go, hotshot," Alexia joked, shouldering her heavy pack. It seemed as if she were adjusting easily as she raced down the steps and weaved in between the people gathered there. Without a single look behind her, she said goodbye to everyone and was out the door, all in one fluent motion. Riku said his goodbyes and then followed her, where she was waiting, standing on a nearby, thick railing.

"Having fun?"

"Yes. This Eagle Vision makes my perception of my surroundings seem so … boosted," she explained, as she ran down the railing. In the distance they could see a large fleet of ships in the air, all new models designed by Cid and Merlin, capable of penetrating the dark shield around Olympus and Greece.

"You ready to be in Greece for a while?" Riku asked her.

"It should be fun, so why not?" Alexia retorted.

"I guess your right. It's only Hades, it shouldn't be too hard. How many Heartless could he have?" Riku asked.

The two of them boarded the _Balmung_, Riku's own ship. It had been outfitted with the technology to get through. So he was glad that he and Alexia had a ship to themselves. And they could beam to the other ships whenever they wanted.

"Ready, partner?" Riku asked.

"Ready when you are," Alexia answered.

"Next stop, Greece …" Riku said, lifting off from the world.

"How long are we going to be there, Riku?" Alexia asked.

"About a year."

* * *

TN: Okay, and there is our very first chapter! Many, many, many more are to come, so please help us craft this story along the way. Give us all your feedback that you can. Until next chapter!

TN: ALSO! Here is a picture of Alexia for anyone that is wanting to see her. It is missing her cloak and weapon and scarred left eye. Follow the link on my page to find her picture.

* * *

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	2. Shining Stars over a World of Ice

TN: Sorry this is kind of late, but the reasons are as follows: My grandmother passed away during the writing of this and that left me with a giant gap of where a lot of writing didn't happen. That, along with my internet being shut off for a few days, delayed my sending of the chapter to Herald. But, it all makes up for it with his scenes in the chapter. Holy shit, prepared to be blown away.

* * *

TN: I have no honor of being here.

TUH: For once, I did most of the chapter.

TN: Yes, you did, and it was amazing.

TUH: Rejoice, you're getting a name drop.

TN: *stunned silence*  
TN: Even I didn't see it coming.  
TN: Get ready for the best chapter of book two so far.

TUH: *massive facepalm*

DISCLAIMER

* * *

**Chapter II**

**Shining Stars over a World of Ice**

_I'ltorien  
__October 4, 2010_

"You are in the world of I'ltorien, in the base of our organization and my home. My name is Tina Branford, and welcome to the Harbingers," she said to them with a warm smile. Sora extended his hand and shook her smaller one. She had blonde hair that fell down around her shoulders in voluminous curls. They curtained around her violet eyes that were full of warmth and mystery. She couldn't have been too much older than he was, but her eyes held experience and wisdom far beyond her years. They had seen too much, and they had never given anything back. She wore a loose, white blouse with a black tee underneath. Black pants adorned her legs and she wore some simple shoes. The only thing that stood out were he earrings, two blue, tear-drop shaped items dangling. A black cloaked wrapped around her form and her back shouldered a sheath containing a large, silver two-handed sword.

"I- I'ltorien?" Kairi stuttered, standing next to Sora and shaking Tina's hand as well.

"Yes, this is the world that you are now in," she simply said, walking over to an open window and breathing in the air from the morning outside.

"What day is it?" Sora asked. Tina turned towards him with a smile.

"It is October the fourth, year two thousand and ten," she explained. She kicked the ground in a complex beat.

"We've been gone from our friends for three days!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Yes," Tina replied.

"How did we get here?" Sora asked. Tina raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure you're not ready to know that yet. But maybe with time and the trials …" she answered mysteriously.

"Wait, how can you not tell us how we're here!?" Kairi cried. "Our friends must be worried sick about us!"

"I am sure you are right. I'm sorry for doing this to you, I truly am. I had no choice but to bring you here," Tina explained.

"YOU brought us here?" Sora asked incredulously. "How did you do that?"

"With a spell I placed on both of you at the Cup. When we first met, I shook each of your hands and that activated the Mark of Light. When someone is marked, if they are about to be consumed by darkness, they would instantly transport to the one who wove the spell. That would be me," she told them as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"Wait … I remember that spell. It brought me into Destiny Islands. Were you the one to do it too?" Kairi questioned, receiving a negative shake of her head from Tina. She then decided to keep that unanswered question where it had been kept for all these years and asked a far more pertinent one. "When can we go back?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know."

"Can we even get back?" Sora questioned.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Sora snapped. Tina looked at him with a hard glare.

"Stop talking to me like I'm the one who planned this!" she snapped back. Tears trickled in her eyes. "I did not and still do not want to do this. I didn't want to bring you here, but you are the one of the prophecy, and that means you will save this world," Tina said, choked with emotion.

"Tina … I'm sorry I-"

"I know you are, but be more careful with your words here, not everyone in this world has the ability to forgive," she chastised. Sora felt his head quiver in shame, mainly because he _knew_ she was right. Sora looked at her with a face pleading forgiveness, and she smiled.

"Don't worry, I won't fault you. But you should start learning more about how to approach people. Honestly, you should be happy you two are safe and sound, and the spell had a fifty-fifty shot of incinerating you on the spot," Tina said with a nervous chuckle.

"WHAT!?" Sora and Kairi shouted at the same time.

"It … worked, didn't it?" Tina tilted her head to the side and showed an equally shaky smile in return. Sora crossed his arms and smiled, too.

"Yeah, I guess it did," he replied before they all laughed, their voices slapping off the wooden walls.

"Um, Tina … ?" Kairi began.

"What is it?" Tina replied.

"Where are our clothes?"

"Oh, when you arrived in the Mìelthrì Forest, the spell destroyed all of your clothes. You two were as naked as the days you were born," Tina explained. Sora felt his cheeks grow very warm very quickly.

"Um, y- you, didn't, um …" Sora stuttered.

"Yes, Sora, I did. I was the one that shared a seat on Tiki for forty miles back here and then dressed you along with Kairi," she said. Sora looked over and Kairi looked like a tomato, or maybe her hair was all over face. Both of them started mumbling.

_Did Kairi see me naked? I don't remember a thing …_

He felt a momentary silence within himself, remembering that Roxas wouldn't be there to reply. And that hurt his heart. He shook his head, trying to clear it of thoughts.

"Well, if you two are ready, I can give you a tour of the base," Tina told them. Sora looked over to Kairi and they both nodded, following her out of the room and into a small hall. After some twists and turns through the stone paths—their feet _clocking_ off of the wooden floors—they came out into a big chamber that stretched in three different ways. In the middle was a large fountain that sprayed water that shimmered in different colors. Windows on the sides of the walls leaked in sunlight and fresh air.

Multiple different people walked through the area, mostly soldiers or trainees, but Sora could spot a few people that looked important. Then a young man walked over. He had blue, spiky hair that jutted in multiple directions. A single blue, metal pauldron covered his left shoulder. Red and black leather boots covered white pants, banded with with a black belt. A blue tailcoat he wore, trimmed in gold, fluttered as he walked, but not as much as his ragged red cape. A matching band tied around his head, and the same color scheme was seen on his gloves. A sword was at his side.

"So, giving the newbies the grand tour?" he asked Tina. She nodded.

"Hello, Ike. And yes, we were just going to go outside. I'm sure they need to stretch their muscles," she replied to the man known as Ike.

"Oh, they'll be doing that soon enough," Ike answered with a chuckle as he walked on his way, leaving them behind.

"Okay, I know the place may seem big, but this is just the base at the valley. I've never even seen the main quarters of operation. That is located in a mountain by the Mìelthrì Forest and the ocean. So, let's go outside!" Tina said, trying to ease them into enthusiasm. Sora and Kairi followed her outside a large pair of wooden doors and out into the valley.

The view was beautiful … and Sora didn't use the word beautiful that often.

The building was located on a hill in the center of a deep valley, a permanent mist hanging over it, keeping it cool and mysterious. Sora could hear metal striking somewhere, a blacksmith no doubt. And then he heard a different kind of metal clashing, that of people sparring. Behind the base, in the far distance, he could see a dark line of trees, maybe forty miles away. Beside it he could see a lone mountain, the on Tina must have been talking about.

"Welcome to the base of the Harbingers," Tina said, holding her arms outward.

"Um, who or what are the Harbingers, anyway?" Kairi asked.

"Well, we're a group of rebels," Tina explained simply.

"And what are you rebelling against?" Sora asked.

"The Empire. Emperor Mateus. Whichever you prefer," Tina told them as she twirled some of her hair.

"Why?" Sora inquired further. A bit of a dark look passed over Tina's face, and he realized he may have asked a too serious question.

"Because the Empire is evil," and she left it at that. Then her normal, happier expression returned. "Come on, let's go see the camp."

And so, they met the blacksmith and saw his array of weapons and armor, which Sora figured he would have to get some armor now that his magical clothes were gone. He and Kairi held hands while they walked, listening to Tina explain this or explain that. But something kept nagging at the back of Sora's mind. He was worried about all of their friends, their families, and Maleficent. He had failed to take down Maleficent, he had failed to stop her. He watched as all of his friends were defeated, and he didn't even know the fate of any of them. He and Kairi had gotten away, but what about everyone else? What had happened to them?

"Right Sora?" Tina asked, bonking him on the back of his head. He absentmindedly ribbed at it.

"Hm, what?" he asked.

"I said that you two were good with combat correct? Already knew the ropes and all?" Tina explained.

"Oh yeah, for sure. Me and Kai know what we're doing!" he proudly exclaimed.

"Well, it's good to hear such confidence. Try not to let that become cockiness, okay," she stated, rather than asked.

"Of course not," Sora said, before taking Kairi's hand in his and continuing the tour.

**HoL:RftA**

The sounds of hooves crunching into gravel filled the air, followed by the similar sound of wheels. Morvlan, the eldest Vysril, sat at the reigns, Argovaron by his side. The night air was brisk and alive, fresh.

"How have you managed to seal one?" Argovaron asked in the Vysril tongue, a show of respect to their leader.

"It was not easy, retrieving just one of them, but it took three of us to get it done," Morvlan replied. Argovaron was at the Tower of Ahkthra. Its pitch stone was eclipsed by the two moons in the sky. The larger white moon half-covering the smaller green one.

"How are you containing it?" Argovaron asked.

"We are using the Luxarian Orb to make a magical cage. A Zexlite may be very powerful, but not as powerful as a Vysril with the Orb. Without the Orb though …" Morvlan left the sentence hanging.

"Will you truly be able to control an army of these?" Argovaron asked as he scratched his beard.

"By very excruciating means, yes."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Every reward has a high sacrifice to pay …" Morvlan chuckled.

They crunched down the road and then came to a stop. What looked like massive stone cellar doors stood before them, leading into the heart of the island. They each opened a door and entered. Morvlan handed Argovaron a torch and they each lit them with magic.

"It is still remarkable that you can cast magic without the fool Mateus having to pump it into you," Morvlan commented as they walked down the corridor.

"Every reward has a high sacrifice," Argovaron reminded him.

"Hah hah hah, you learn quickly. Now, come!"

They reached a large set of doors. Argovaron could hear a screeching, high pitched scream behind them. The Zexlite. Morvlan chanted a few words and the doors opened. Ivalor, one of the Vysrils, stood watch with the Orb, a sphere of blue and black. Intricate lines cut through its surface, ever changing. A beam of energy arced from it into a cage.

Inside the cage was a monstrosity of a demon. It stood at twelve feet, not including the foot-long horns. Red eyes glimmered from behind the blue of the cage. Razor sharp and jagged teeth protruded from a mouth that smoked, sparks curling from his. When it screamed, fire flew from its mouth. Long and lean limbs were attached to a winged torso. Long claws adorned its hands and feet. So, in other words, your average demon. Well, it was average until it became a ball of shadow with red eyes, flurrying around its cage at sonic speeds.

"How is that they do that?" Argovaron asked in astonishment.

"We do not know everything about these creatures. This technique gives them amazing speed. They can also do a mixture of the two … AH! There it is!" Morvlan exclaimed.

The creature was now part shadow and part body, able to mercilessly kill and yet be very hard to harm.

"I am frightened of one of these things, lest you have an entire army," Argovaron stated.

"Soon enough … yes, soon enough."

Morvlan chuckled.

**HoL:RftA**

It was nighttime and Sora and Kairi were with Tina in her bedroom in the base. They had spent the day walking around the camp, meeting people, and learning the camp itself. All of which Sora had already forgotten. He remembered Ike, and that was about it. And a woman that Tina talked about, an Elincia. Sora and Kairi had been given different pairs of clothing and some boots each. They each had time earlier to bathe and to relax. Now they sat with Tina before going to sleep. They each had their own bedrooms, side by side, and across the hall from Tina.

"Thank you for today, Tina," Kairi said.

"It was the least I could do for our guests," Tina replied with a smile as she chomped on an apple.

"But _why_ are we here?" Sora asked. Tina swallowed the bit of apple she had eaten.

"Sora, Kairi, I can't tell you why. You have to earn the knowledge," Tina explained before finishing the apple and tossing the core out the window behind her.

"Why!? You kidnapped us!" Sora burst out. Tina closed her eyes and exhaled.

"I realize that we didn't ask, but you did kind of let me cast the spell on you," she said with a playful smirk. Sora didn't know what to say to that.

"But you just can't tell us nothing?" Sora continued.

"Tomorrow you are going to go through the trials that will determine your place here in the Harbingers. If you do well enough, we will tell you everything. Now go and get some rest. But remember, you have to earn the right," Tina said, standing up and seeing them out of her room. Sora and Kairi heard the door shut behind them. They walked across the hall where they hugged and shared a very brief kiss. Sora just felt … bad, wrong.

"You okay, Sora?" Kairi asked.

"I … I'm fine, Kai," and he forced himself to flash her his trademark grin.

"Okay, but remember to talk with me if you have to." Sora opened his door and walked in, shutting it. Just as he did he heard Kairi tell him she loved him. He went straight to bed, his mind muddled with thoughts.

He tried his hardest to connect to Roxas, but there was nothing, he felt more empty than he had in a long time, and it was not a pleasant feeling. What were they doing here? Here, in … I'ltorien? Was that the name? Why were they here of all places. Taken from everything they knew as if it were taking candy from a baby. They were snatched away easily, and Sora couldn't stop it. He couldn't stop Maleficent. What was happening? He wasn't used to messing up like this, but he closed his eyes knowing things would get better. Within a few weeks they would be found, or they would be allowed to leave. Soon enough everything would be right and Maleficent would be taken down swiftly. He fell asleep with those ideas in his mind.

He had never been so wrong before in his life.

**HoL:RftA**

_October 1, 2010_

He could not hold back. He could not hesitate. Hesitation meant loss, loss meant death or worse, service to the Empire. He owed Eighteen this much. He owed her a show of will.

A ball of ice appeared in front of Eigtheen's free left hand, one that she crushed calmly in-between her fingers, stopping the creation of all the snowflakes. The temperature wildly fluctuated between King's heat and Eighteen's cold until, for just a moment, time slowed down. It was time. King threw Quel'Serrar to his left hand and readied his right one. If he was to withstand what Eighteen was readying, he had to give it his all from the start.

"Diamond…" a frozen fist pulled back, stray tears adding to its power.

"Rozan…" like a tiger, it crouched. Like a dragon, it waited.

"DUST!" a tempest of ice was born.

"SHO RYU HA!" a golden dragon took flight.

King knew it would eventually begin like this, and, unlike what one would expect, he had simply chosen the path that would bring him less of a disadvantage. Eighteen's attack packed less of a punch than his, but it was not concentrated into one place, it was a veritable blizzard that would cause damage no matter what his technique did, even hitting Eighteen head on. For that, King controlled the upstream of mana that was the Rising Dragon Wave and commanded it to coil around him, forming a serpentine crystal statue around him, weathering the storm away.

While his eyes could not see outside of the now snow-covered crystal, King knew he would gain nothing from hiding, for that, he broke the crystal. At the very same time, he kicked the Quel'Serrar back into his right hand, his left one slithering across the edge as he chanted:

"Spellblade: Firaga!" causing the edge blade to erupt and crackle in blaze fit to engulf a city, soon calming itself down into a slithering edge of dragon fire around the sword. With a swift movement upwards, the snow and ice that now fell due to the crumbling crystals instantly vanished with the thermal shock, revealing…

"Blizzaga Shatter!" Eighteen chanted from above, hurling a giant shard of ice and proceeding to cause it to perform the eponymous shattering, raining death by impalement on her brother. King instinctively dodged by taking a large leap to the right. What he didn't expect was that said leap could very much spell his undoing. The moment he touched the floor with his right foot, he felt something. Attrition. Lack of thereof. As he skidded at astounding speeds towards the edge, his eyes scanned the area. It was frozen. The floor had been completely frozen, even the one he had protected with the crystal was now frozen due to Eighteen's spell. King soon found himself being catapulted off the edge with the momentum behind him. He had to reverse it, quickly.

"Release!" he shouted, sword pointed outward. The contained fire went wild, combusting and devouring the air around it, and, of course, shifting the momentum around, allowing King to safely fly back into the platform and slide across the ice once again. He chanted the Spellblade once again before jumping at his sister, bringing fiery doom upon her.

"Runic!" she said with a smirk. King gasped and aborted the slash with another:

"Release!" this one throwing him backwards, but with comparatively much less force. As he was reaching the ground though, King thrust his legs down, breaking the ice and rock bellow and anchoring himself to gain solid footing.

"Oh, you can actually stand? That's a first!" Eighteen taunted, showing off the only time she was open about her emotions, in a fight. "And you went through so much to stop me from using Runic…" she said, pacing through the ice as if it was a normal floor.

"Of course. Last thing I want is you absorbing my mana through that sword!" King exclaimed, pointing towards it. "Especially after spending that gigantic amount of mana you spend to create this battlefield!" he added. He knew what Eighteen had tried. Runic. A sword technique only his sister could use, due to the Esper inside her. When she calls for it, her sword becomes the equivalent of a lightning rod for mana. Any magic spell or the like that makes contact with it is quickly nullified and absorbed into the user's body. This made it so mages were little less than batteries for her mana pool. Meaning he couldn't risk it. As much as his Spellblade was a great counter to her Cryomancy, he couldn't sustain constantly activating it and deactivating when he went for a strike. Which meant he had to deactivate it, right?

Wrong.

"What's this? You're going to come at me with it on fire again? Well then, be my guest!" Eighteen told her brother once he got back into battle stance. She rushed at him, causing King to think it was time to execute his plan. "Not falling for it!" Eighteen exclaimed, jumping high up into the air just as she was about to get into King's range. By the time he looked up she had already slid her sword back into her hilt, summoning a pair of sharp icicles into both hands. "Blizzaga Spear!" she shouted as she hurled them downwards, hoping to clip King's legs with them. This forced King to slide across the terrain again, looking up to see Eighteen preparing yet another spell. "Blizzaga Storm!" King saw her call down a rain of meteor-like chunks of ice the size of tall men. Most would think this would be a danger to their well being.

Not King.

The impact came, ice, rock and debris flying into the air, obscuring all vision. Eighteen landed on the frozen landscape, slowly walking around it to survey for the results of her attack. She didn't want to hurt King more than necessary. Just enough to have him concede and/or be too injured to try and escape. It was silent, so silent in fact that she knew she had not hit him, at least no hard. If she had, the wheezing breaths of pain would be heard in the dead of night by now.

She heard a small crash, causing her body to jolt around, only to see one of her giant icicles fall onto the ground. What was reflected in it was what saved her.

"Runic!" she called, turning and blocking in one swift motion, her transparent energy coated blade blocking King's flaming one. He had appeared from her flank, using the falling of the ice to mask his coming's sound. Slowly, King's blade began losing its red outline as it flowed into Eighteen's blade and then body, restoring part of her mana pool. "Almost got me… but now I'll be taking your pow-"

Her speech was impeded by the blood that clogged her throat. King had taken the clash of the blade's as a simple distraction, sacrificing his Spellblade for the chance to plant one colossal punch into Eighteen's thorax. The right-handed hook was so powerful it took her with its swing, driving her in a semi-circle motion from the place she was in, over King's head and back down before smashing her into the ground with such force she didn't only smash the ice and stone, but her body rebounded into the air as she expelled the blood of a broken ribcage and pierced lungs through her mouth. Another air-cracking blow hit her, this time being King's left heel crashing into the side of her ribcage, shattering the left side completely and throwing her like a ragdoll across the arena. King readjusted back into his standing position, taking a look at his bleeding right fist.

"I went overboard…" he sighed, shaking off the pain of at least three dislodged knuckles and probably some broken bones as he healed it with a low ranking Cure spell. He was nearly inept in the ways of White Magic. The way of the sword had been on his mind ever since he escaped the facility due to how he was nearly obligated into using the Quel'Serrar, meaning that he had lost some timing and muscle memory on his hand to hand capabilities, causing him to take more damage than he should in a simple attack.

"You… keep surprising me…" Eighteen told King, surprising him with the fact that she was still standing. "Giving me the position I had wanted to get and the mana I needed just to get in close enough to land a blow with a hand you had hardly ever used these past two years? It's no wonder… you were cut out to be a general,"

"Sis, stop this. Just give up before you get hurt in ways magic cannot fix!" King pleaded, but his worry was not enough to reach her, in fact, it only seemed to make her icy glare burn in frostfire.

"Give up? You'd best do that yourself, brother! Look around you! You are in my world now!" she exclaimed, opening up her arms as the last of the debris were cleared. King could barely believe it. It had all added up. All of her attacks.

He now stood in a wasteland of ice. Everywhere he looked, he only saw pristine ice. The floor was as it was before. No, better, the ice seemed to have regenerated from the beating it had taken during the fight. The man-sized icicles she had thrown stuck into the ground just like stalagmites, reflecting all light the moon provided. King felt like lost in a maze of mirrors, the ground showed his figure starring back at it, and when he looked around, it was as if one thousand hims stared back as the stalagmites served as improvised mirrors.

"World of Ice!" she exclaimed as a dome of thin, transparent ice covered the top of the tower, closing off any chance King had to escape through the air. By the time King looked back at his sister, he saw only a reflection of himself in one of the icicles.

"Everything up until now…" King began, returning to his battle posture, this time much more focused on defense than anything else.

"Was to get you in this world of mine. It's something I kept hidden from everyone I knew or fought with. Everyone alive at least. I always save it it for a life or death situation but… well, this one seems more poignant," Eighteen explained, her reflection sometimes appearing in one of the icicles for a split second before vanishing. "As a friendly tip from someone who already knows all your tricks, you're better off just giving up, before you are weakened enough for Tor to just officially challenge you for General status."

King knew he couldn't give up though, but this spell was far too complex for him to understand so quickly. He had to… use himself as bait.

"You know how this will end sister! When one of us can't move anymore, so stop wasting your opportunity to make a move and come!" he shouted, only to feel a blade come from his shoulder outward.

"I already did…" she whispered in his ear. Out of instinct, King swung back his sword at the place where Eighteen was, being shocked to feel and see it break into a large ice formation, not his sister.

"Impossible…" he told himself, making sure to feel and check his bleeding shoulder to be sure that had even happened. _"__Is she moving through the ice?"_ King deduced, watching his surroundings carefully, again, being deserted with copies of himself. _"__No, that's impossible. I saw multiple reflections of her earlier. She can't possibly have the mana to create clones and do something as complex as altering her body complexity into fitting the one of ice. But then… what's her trick?"_ the sound of ice cracking reached King's ears as he was in contemplation, an instinctual dodge to the left saving his kidney from a thrust from the Quel'Delar_. _Eighteen frowned as her body was locked into the momentum for a few moments. _"__Now's my chance!"_ calibrating his strike carefully, King struck back with the pendulum momentum of the dodge to strike back from a side that none of Eighteen's eyes could pick up. He was flabbergasted as she neatly dodged the attack that should have blind sighted her and stroke back at him, leaving a large gash on his abdomen before jumping into obscurity again.

"I warned you. This technique has a one hundred percent success ratio when used against someone for the first time! Stop before I do something worse like cutting off your arm!" Eighteen's voice echoed, a hidden intent of offering peace still present in her burning cold tone. Unfortunately, this only oiled up the gears in King's head.

_"__One hundred percent ratio… on the first time. Meaning this technique crumbles if you understand it. Meaning it's deceptively simple!" _He scanned his surroundings and saw, if only briefly, an image of Eighteen skid through three of the crystals. She could see her back, her front, even her side. Most importantly, he saw her eyes. Meaning… she could to! _"__She's… not vanishing! She's using the reflections of the ice to read into my vision's blind spots! At the same time, she has no blind spots, hence how she dodged! And that means she can't use magic in fear of destroying too much of this world!" _King's realization came with his mind providing him what it always did during a battle. A perfect strategy to counter it. With no hesitation, King closed his eyes.

After all, this was a technique that preyed on Eighteen using his own vision and reliance on it for her gain. When a human body loses one of its senses, the others heighten to compensate. Touch, taste, smell and, most importantly hearing. At first, everything was silent. He had quelled even his breathing. Any unnecessary sounds could lead to a reaction to a nonexistent attack, which would make his strategy have completely backfired. Eighteen also seemed to see that King had caught on to her strategy, as she took her time to attack. However, a standstill would not gain her nothing. As King had deduced, magic could have turned the delicate balance of the World of Ice off, so she had to attack physically. No matter how silent her footsteps had been, King's enhanced hearing picked up on the final three. He could visualize everything. From the position, thirty three degrees to the southeast, to the attack, a curved thrust to the left torso area, to even the position of Eighteen.

Then why couldn't he dodge out of the way?!

His vision suddenly returned as his eyes shot open in the pain that erupted from having his right lung pierced. He had tried to dodge. He had known where the attack was coming from, its speed and how to slide out of the way. But he couldn't do it. His body hadn't responded. Eighteen looked into his eyes, a look of reassignment and sadness permeating.

"I knew you wouldn't make this easy. I tried to deal as little damage as I could, hoping to discourage you. But that isn't happening, is it? Now I won't stop until you give up or until you won't walk again!" a cold, slicing wind passed through both as Eighteen silently gave King the last chance of resigning. No words were exchanged before she vanished yet again into the maze of mirrors. To tell the truth, King's brain hadn't even registered what she had said, it was too busy trying to comprehend where he had gone wrong. Giving up or negotiation wasn't even a possibility for his subconscious even.

_"__I don't understand… how did she manage to hit me? I had the dodging route planned out, I knew the speed of the strike, I thought I had completed it but… it stopped halfway through. Wait a minute… she can't be! I have to be sure of this… even if it means I get hit again," _King had already resigned himself to yet another jolt of pain. That isn't to mean he was just going to stand there and watch, on the contrary, he retread every step he had taken with the utmost precision, or even more. He had now heard Eighteen's step from as far as eight steps away. He visualized the body, posture, angle, speed, he even calculated the force of the blow. And he prepared to dodged it. The Quel'Delar was now lodged on his right hip. Eighteen had just given him his answer.

"Absolute Blind Spots," King said out loud, opening his eyes and staring into Eighteen's burning sapphires directly. She sighed and shook her head, even chuckling as she admitted it.

"You read through the World of Ice while still inside it. You are really one of a kind, aren't you?" she mused, removing her sword from his hip and letting him fall down on his left knee. She turned and slid her hand through her sword, saying: "Orlandeu once taught us about blind spots. The areas in our vision range where we simply cannot see. Some swordsmen think that conquering the ability to take advantage of said blind spots will give them undefeatable prowess. That's not true. Your first guess was that the World of Ice was made to be able to see through an opponent's blind spots. However, such blind spots are merely external and it can be covered up by methods such as sacrificing sight entirely for enhancing another, or a person can use his speed, flexibility, field of vision, and reaction time to erase their blind spots. Meaning that simply being aware of a person's vision is not enough to be invincible," she explained, more rhetorically than anything. She was just reminding herself of an important lesson. King had already seen through her.

"However, the human body does have its own dead angles, or blind spots. Known as Absolute Blind Spots, they stem from the joints, most specifically the positions that humans are unable to conform to because the skeletal structure can only move in certain ways regardless of one's flexibility or speed. Meaning that, depending on your skeletal structure and positioning, there are movements that are simply impossible to accomplish due to the maximum angles of our joints. Orlandeu claimed this to be the Holy Grail of sword fighting. To know when and where your opponent is physically incapable of doing anything. And that's the secret behind your World of Ice!" King exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger towards his sister. "You created this maze of mirrors to have complete and utterly precise vision of every movement the opponent takes. Seeing how he moves, how his body is built, how he tries to attack and dodge, this is all possible to comprehend and analyze from all angles simultaneously here! Meaning you can discover Absolute Blind Spots much more easily like this. I'm the worst possible denominator here, as you already knew much about me before entering, meaning you can see my blind spots even without the prior research, removing one of the flaws in it, the ramp up time while you determine and calculate everything!" Eighteen couldn't help but laugh.

"Exactly! It's insane… how can you be so precise? Well, don't act like it matters. You just said it yourself. You are the worst possible person to be in here. You are the worst case scenario. I know your ins and outs. You may know what I am going to do… but can you dodge it?" Eighteen shouted, jumping yet again into the crystalline jungle.

King smiled, announcing simply that: "I can't. But you're not making me quit either,"

"Then I'll drag your unconscious body out!" Eighteen announced, preparing for her attack. Body posture, angle, speed, force. Everything was calculated once again and once again did King command his body to dodge perfectly, but it didn't work. The Quel'Delar had just lodged itself on his left shoulder once again. "Give up!" Eighteen ordered, knowing that the loss of blood was going to be dangerous if King continued.

"Give up… why should I? I already won," King whispered, his eyes turning scarlet and slitting like a reptile's. For a few seconds, Eighteen was frozen. She felt like a prey looking up to the hunter as it descended upon her. That was just enough time to have the swordsman grab the Quel'Delar with his own left arm, locking her in place at the cost of deep gashes into his fingers. Not that King cared. Eighteen pulled on her sword, for a moment letting go of the normal constraint she put up for the sake of King's safety, but was mortified to see how it didn't even budge. Worse, she saw that King's fingers had just… dented it. As soon as she saw King's sword raise above his head, she decided to just let go of her sword and take refuge into the World of Ice.

_"__I think that grants you a passing note,"_ a familiar voice echoed on King's head. His gamble had paid off.

_"__You're a tough customer Silver… now, if you would,"_ he bantered back, removing the Quel'Delar and carving it by his side as both his hands now held the Quel'Serrar. "Sister! Without a sword you cannot use Runic, right? You better brace yourself for what comes next then!"

_"__Be careful not to kill her," _Silver jested. King felt the same power he had seen emanate from the crystal silver was in fill him, along with memetic memory of the Esper for this one spell. Several firefly-like orange fireballs began congregating into his blade just before he roared:

"Level 3… FLARE!" hitting the blade on the iced ground. The conflagration was as merciless as it was swift, engulfing the skies in a sea of flames the instant the sword touched the frozen stone. It left no dust in its wake, everything it had touched simply vaporized. Normally King would feel like this would give him away, but everyone knew that Eighteen wanted to be General at all costs, if only for the ability to humiliate Tor, so this battle was to be expected. Even if he had just made ruins out of the top floor of the Lightbringer tower. However, one thing didn't bode well. Where was his sister?

_"__Before you panic, her mana is above us," _Silver explained, alleviating some of the pressure in King's heart and leading him to look up. King's face lit up in both surprise and amazement.

The lights seemed far off, streaking across the heavens, rippling in sheets of beauty. They glimmered off the roaring ocean, and cast a brilliance over the land, a brilliance that not even the sun could recreate. It was a divine sight, and it took your breath away. It was the opposite of all the problems of I'ltorien. It was the purification in the corruption. The light in the dark. The life in the death. The giving within the taking. It was the love of the world that was filled with so much hate. Who were they, these people, to deserve something such as this? It was a true gift of love and hope, and like all good things, it was sad to think that it was taken for granted for.

The surprise and wonder didn't last for long however, as King came to realize that Auroras simply couldn't exist in this climate. But… this one was massive. Impossibly big. It covered the entire sky. There was a small, glowing white dot in the center of the Aurora. There was no way that-

"You give me no chance brother! I didn't want to do this, but I'll freeze you right now and lock you up until this war is over!" Eighteen's voice echoed in his eardrums. It was impossible for her voice to travel this far without being augmented by magic, meaning King could be facing persecution even if he defeated Eighteen, had anyone else heard that. "And don't bother using your crystal. Nothing can escape Absolute Zero!" That did put a damper in King's first solution to this. No physical substance in the universe could resist freezing under zero degrees Kelvin. The sky then flashed in rainbow colors far brighter than the aurora before funneling all of that light into Eighteen's outstretched hands as she chanted: "Aurora Borealis!" unleashing the previously spectacle of the eyes as a storm of tempestuous light heading downwards.

Even though the ray was still over one hundred meters above, the temperature around King was already at negative Celsius values, he knew he needed to do something fast. Still, there wasn't much in the way of intelligence that could bail him out of this one.

_"__I agree with you, there's only one way out of this… through it! Feel free to take as many as you need,"_ Silver offered, his voice livelier than ever, as if battling had finally awakened the Esper's spirit for the first time in decades.

"Okay… thank you Silver," King replied, closing his eyes. This time, he let Silver's silver mana mix with his natural golden one, expelling them in a brilliant twister before congregating it back on his blade, the edge of it brimming in golden silver. The remaining mana covered his entire body, forming a pair of silver wings on his back that flowed with his every movement. Raising the sword skyward, he took a deep breath, the frozen air heralding the coming of the tempest. "ROZAN… SHŌ TEN HA!" Just like the Sho Ryu Ha, the aura around King formed a serpentine dragon that took to the skies in all its golden silver glory. However, the dragon was far more than a mere representation of the animal, it seemed to be a being of its own, with detailed scales, an added mane and the same two mana wings that had appeared behind King as he raised his sword up.

Fueled with both Silver's and King's power, the dragon traversed the through the wave of aurorian cold as a dragon would fly through a storm, swift like an arrow but powerful like a cannon ball. Defying all logic, the crystal coming from its creating wasn't even freezing as it rode through a tempest of the lowest temperature possible. Seeing the dragon approach her, jaw opened and beckoning her into the crystalline embrace of eternity, Eighteen directed all of her remaining mana into a frontal barrier to weather the storm that was coming. She was shocked to see the dragon disperse into four rays moments before hitting her. The shock gave way to an acknowledgment two seconds too late. It was just a bait. She looked to the only place where her target could be, even further above her.

The wings he had gained were not for show, even though they were simply apparitions of mana... King was flying, sword still raised upwards, his crimson eyes showing no mercy as the four streams of mana returned to his sword, his roar echoing through the night's sky with the swing of the blade that reformed the dragon.

Faced with yet another assault capable of breaking through her strongest offense, Eighteen could only try to dodge the flying dragon by using wind magic to propel herself short distances thought he air. All of it was proven wrong with two words.

"Dragon… Dive," King spoke, revealing the true nature of the attack. The dragon was indeed nothing more than a decoy, one that erupted in a rain of golden light, Eighteen watching in horror the sky was filled with tens… hundreds… so many smaller golden dragons that she had stopped counting once her eyes saw more than three hundred. There was no dodging it. There was no blocking it. She put up a valiant fight, using gusts of Aurora to dodge the first few, freezing a couple more, but as the first one sunk its teeth into her right leg, the crystallization process began. Another one cut her on the right side of her hip. Her left shoulder was next, the crystal reaching all the way up to her ear. Abdomen, right arm, torso, right cheek, her body became more and more numb as she fell from a height that would kill a normal human, doubly true for someone who was in the middle of having her body become crystal. She finally opened her arms, swallowing her pride and accepting her fate just before hitting the ground.

She did not crash, King had never intended to harm his sister more than the absolutely necessary and so, true to his intentions, he swooped in and grabbed her right in the nick of time.

"To the winner go the spoils. What is your order?" Eighteen wasted no time in saying what was on her mind. She felt broken. Both her pride and her mind. She knew that he would order her to go with him and escape. Or at least to keep quiet.

"My order is… follow your heart, not your mind. If it tells you to give me up to the Emperor, go ahead. If it tells you to let me go, go ahead. If you truly care about Tina, then meet me in my room when your injuries are healed," King told her without breaking eye-contact. "No matter what you do, you'll still be my sister. We're a family, don't you forget it… Celes,"

And so, he left her behind, descending through the stairs as the first and bravest of the grunts made their way up to the top to see what had happened.

Unbeknownst to both of them, a pair of dark green eyes had loomed over the entire battle.

**HoL:RftA**

"Where have you been? The tower looked like it was going to- Bro-bro, you're injured!" Cuore exclaimed as King made his way into the room. She jumped off her chocobo and immediately dispelled it, landing on the arm of the chair King had just let his body rest in. King hated to admit it, but Cuore was the one that healed him every time something more than dislodged bones happened to him.

Cuore was insanely good at all kinds of magic. Normally someone in the facility would be granted one elemental affinity with the infusion. That or an affinity to a certain kind of magic. Cuore… had them all. It was just like Christina. Just one more of the things that had caused King to empathize with her so much. She quickly began healing him, being done in less than five minutes. The amount of cuts, frostbite, broken bones and impalement marks would have taken the best White Mages in his division hours to fix half as good as Cuore had just done. She was… special.

"Thank you Cuore… you will probably want to know what did this to me, huh?" King asked her, receiving a repeated nod from the child in front of him. "Well… me and Celes fought," a look that King had not seen in Cuore in a long time surfaced. Cold. Calculating. Rational.

"She discovered the plan, correct?" she asked, flawless tone, as if nothing had happened.

"More like deduced most of it… we had a duel at the top. Tradition is that whoever beats the other not only takes their rank if they are superior but can issue one order that they cannot refuse," King explained, remembering how many of his troops had been crippled or lost their lives just for the prospect of glory or free slaves.

"What was your order?" Cuore questioned, her amber eyes showing no hesitation. "Surely you ordered for her to follow us, correct?"

"I told her to do what she truly desired," King told, knowing the deep sigh that would come afterward. At first, Cuore would throw a fit whenever you didn't go with her idea of rationality, but after so long she was more expecting it than anything.

"Do humans ever use rationality?" Cuore questioned, jumping to the bed and waggling her legs. "Or have you a master plan behind all of this?" King nearly choked. "Oh, I see you are not innocent either, what have you done?"

"In a purely hypothetical fashion, if we forced her to come there was nothing stopping her from telling on us, sabotaging our escape or worse, reveal Christina's position and ask for shelter inside the empire. Maybe by sabotaging the Harbingers," Cuore nodded at the explanation, starting to follow him. "So, ordering her would not do. Either by not coming or by forcing her to come. Instead, I gave her a choice, but highly implied what she should do. And I used Christina to tilt her opinion even more. I know how she feels for her, it's just like I do, so reminding her of it will likely make her accept coming. Once she feels that it is completely her decision she will be almost certain to not backstab us."

"So you manipulated her. The high and mighty idealist manipulated his sister," Cuore shot in such a cold and rationalizing manner than King had no idea if she was teasing him, chastising him, judging him or just stating it.

"I pushed her in the direction I knew she wanted to go in. Sue me," King replied, silence taking the atmosphere. Cuore then decided to bring up something that King wasn't prepared for her to ask.

"What are your plans on Tor?" she asked with a completely straight face. King didn't know how to answer. Cuore seemed really close to Tor… but this was "rational" Cuore, if there was one time to break it to her, it'd be now.

"I'm not proposing this to him," King told her straight up, expecting a massive backslash. Instead, he got a sigh of apparent relief.

"So humans do use rationality. Just not often," she said as she laid herself back, confusing King to no end.

"You... are okay with this? But you…" he stuttered, remembering all the times Cuore had jumped on top of Tor, piggybacked on him, called him big bro and displayed true affection for him.

"Tor sells himself as a good person, and I would not consider him as someone vile, but he is not someone who I'd recommend putting your trust in. Especially in this situation. He'd likely sell you out at the last minute for a promotion to general. He is that kind of person. Self-centered, Machiavellian, manipulative. Whether he notices this or not I do not know. I just now that, for all he tried, not once did I feel safe close to him. I'm sure he did not notice this either," Cuore explained, a hint of sadness finally manifesting in her voice. King was aware of all of this, and that was the reason he hadn't even considered putting Tor on the plan, but she felt the same he did. Wishing there was a way. There wasn't though. That was the cold reality about Tor.

"Regardless, I thought you were through with that emotionless facet of you. What made it come back?" King questioned, worrying about all the progress Cuore had made.

"Having emotions is… enjoyable, but this is a part of me I cannot let go of. For all the joy I feel, there is a part of me constantly questioning the reason for anything I or anyone else does. My heart and my mind possess equal power over me. If the circumstance called for it… maybe I would leave you to die," Cuore wasn't being disrespectful, she wasn't intimidating him. She was being honest. And that was what scared him. "Scared? I can see it in your eyes. Don't feel sorry for it… I too am scared of myself," an old wrench inside King's heart plunged back into it as he saw crystal droplets leave those open amber jewels. It reminded him too much of the facility. This had not been a problem Christina had faced. Rather…

"Cuore… it's okay…" he told her, slowly leaving his seat, moving towards the bed and cradling the small girl's body back into his chair. "I know how you feel. Everyone in there… was, no, is scared. As long as we are with you, we'll help you fight your monsters…" slowly, he moved Cuore's head into his chest, not telling her anything. He felt water wetting the dried blood on his clothes before long. "We'll soon…be where we belong. I promise you that." King told her as what seemed to be a shining star crossed the horizon. Christina's crying eyes flashed on his own.

"Especially to you…"

* * *

Rozan Shō Ten Ha- Rozan's Divine Ascension Wave

* * *

TUH: Okay, who didn't see that name coming?

TN: And it seems like Sora and Kairi are going to be here for a long time. But what prophecy is Tina talking about?

TUH: Okay, let's make a bet, who thinks the escape will actually go through?

TN: And who has any ideas as to who saw their entire fight?

TUH: Also, because of Nathan's reaction to the fight ... what did you all think of the fight?

TN: *points enthusiastically at Chris*  
TN: Let the trials begin for Sora and Kairi.

TUH: We'll try and update faster now that we are both on vacations.

* * *

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	3. Wake Up Calls

TN: Okay, folks, we're back! And by that, I mean that I'm back! Summer was long, busy, full of vacation and a lot of redemption right at the tail end. Herald is over food poisoning, and college is making me its bitch. So, without further ado, let's get back to the story, and with more regular updating!

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TN: As the title says it, we have prophecies to get through, and if any of you are advent Percy Jackson readers, you're gonna love me!

TUH: We also have some-how do I put this ... wake up calls in this chapter.

TN: Yes we do. Except no one wakes up, and it's not as nice as a Sunday afternoon call from Mrs. Sparsit.

TUH: Dafuq was that all about?

TN: Oh, it was nothing. Either way, any Monster Hunter fans out there (Mike) are gonna find a *ahem* shocking surprise, muwahahaha!

TUH: That pun makes me want to shank you.

TN: We'll leave that to Arya and her trusty sword, Needle.

TUH: Shut up, Nathan, nobody cares, let's just move on.

*DISCLAIMER*

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**Chapter III**

**Wake Up Calls**

_Station of Awakening_

_October 5, 2010_

_Sora stood on the familiar platform of his heart, wiping away the sleep from his eyes. Power radiated from under his feet, the power of his heart. In all distances was nothing but darkness. It had been a while since he had been here, and so, he decided to look at his platform._

_First of all, he noticed he looked different. He was older, maybe nineteen or twenty. He was alone, standing at a cliff overlooking a massive field of roses. Within the field was a battle of all sorts of creatures, humans and Heartless. In the center of it all was an immensely tall tower of black stone._

_The Dark Tower. If he had felt power before, he could just sense that that Tower held potency beyond comprehension. A dark green light flared at the top of it. Maleficent, no doubt. She had made it into the Tower, and that meant she had won. Sora felt his heart pang as he continued to look at the platform._

_Kairi was in a violet heart, her face cast in sadness, and a long scar ran down her arm. Beside her was Riku. He wore a neat looking hood that concealed his eyes; his hair protruded out of it along his shoulders. His circle was dark with white light wishing to break through cracks within. Beside him was a locked circle, a keyhole resting over it, ready to reveal the … female that was inside of it. She wore a hood like Riku. Next to the mystery girl was Roxas in knight's armor surrounded by a golden circle. His chest held a symbol Sora noticed, a necklace Tidus wore. Sora found that odd, and then noticed Mickey's symbol on Roxas' shield._

_Next was Merideth in her own circle. She looked sad and happy at the same time, like what made her happy also hurt her, which Sora didn't think made any sense. There was also a big circle for King Mickey, Donald and Goofy. Next was a circle with two people, but one person was shadowed. The other was Tina. A small keyhole waited above the man next to Tina. One last circle held a single occupant, locked away … a man._

_Sora asked himself one thing … where was Naminé? She wasn't there at all, and he looked back to Roxas. He looked mournful, a tear sliding down his cheek, but he looked down to Merideth, and a small smile filled his face._

_"Is this the future?" Sora asked to no one._

_**It may be.**_

_"You. Your voice … who are you?" Sora asked._

_"I believe you know of my name, Sora."_

_Sora whipped around and a dazzling white light filled his vision, temporarily blinding him. He pulled an arm to his eyes until the light faded, and when it did, Sora came face to face with a man. This man seemed to be of about fifty years old. He stood at about six feet and floated in the air. He slowly descended to the platform, his jet black hair flowing freely, coming down past his shoulders, flat, smooth and sleek. Piercing steel gray eyes look at Sora, and he felt as if this man could see into his very soul. He wore black robes, as dark as the night, but a white sash crossed over his chest. Something was written in golden stitching on the sash, but it was in a language Sora did not understand._

_"It says my name and title: Anuwëy, the Creator," the man known as Anuwëy stated. Sora felt inferior before the presence of this man._

_"Hi, Anuwëy. I guess you already know me. But, I still don't know who you are," Sora said. Anuwëy walked in a circle around the Tower on Sora's painting._

_"Well, I'm an old man," Anuwëy told him._

_"You don't seem too old," Sora reasoned. The man couldn't be a day over fifty-five._

_"Try over ten thousand years," Anuwëy corrected._

_"Whoa! How do you still look so young and good?" Sora blurted in amazement. Anuwëy chuckled, and it was such a pure sound that it made Sora's heart feel as light as a feather._

_"Sora, I am a god."_

_"WHOA! Really!?" Sora asked with a large smile on his face. Anuwëy smiled._

_"I always loved humans, ever since I created them. Gan was against the idea, and if you talked to him like you speak with me … he would have destroyed you where you stand," Anuwëy said as he knelt down and touched the circle of the shadowed girl near Riku._

_"Oh, I'm sorry your Highness, your, um ..." Sora stuttered as he bowed._

_"Oh, Sora, no need for that. Just treat me like a very old friend, hah hah," Anuwëy reaffirmed._

_"Yes, Anuwëy. What are you doing here?" Sora asked._

_"Ah, straight to the point, I see. I come merely to serve a warning. And of course, I must do this in a prophecy," Anuwëy stated, slightly annoyed._

_"Why is that?" Sora asked._

_"Haven't done a prophecy for a while," Anuwëy simply said. He cleared his throat and uttered:_

_What is most precious shall be lost,_

_But unification of three shall cometh._

_When Ahkthra's Tower perishes,  
Hell on earth shall break thy path._

_Return home to find war and death_

_And set out to change all fate_

_To the Dark Tower to make your stand_

_In the battle between love and hate_

_A new-found strength you will surely find_

_The ultimate sacrifice payed to save all of mankind_

_"Why is it that I have a feeling all of that is bad?" Sora asked as Anuwëy finished his prophecy. "Almost all prophecies are," Anuwëy retorted. "But take heed … not all meanings are as clear as they seem." Anuwëy turned away from Sora and floated back into the air._

_"Wait, Anuwëy!" Sora yelled as a light started to brim around the god._

_"What is it, Sora?"_

_"I just have a question … are my friends alright?" Sora asked. Anuwëy's eyes narrowed, searching Sora's very heart._

_"Listen to your mind and heart, and maybe you shall find your answer."_

_And in a flash, he was gone._

**HoL:RftA**

_Like Sora, Kairi stood inside of her heart, on her own glass pillar, light stretching in all directions. Not much had changed about her painting except that Tina was now visible and that the two people under her had now become a single man. Her heart still troubled her to know that Naminé was not a part of the people in her heart, for whatever reason that may be, and she shuddered to think about it._

_She slowly walked over to Sora's picture and lay down on the cool glass next to him, facing upward. She closed her eyes, and it was like she was on the beach of the Destiny Islands. Perfect white sand, lush trees, roaring blue ocean … a simple and perfect life that she was now away from. She could feel the coarse sand under her, smell the salt in the air. It was a balmy day, and she loved it. She opened her eyes and gazed at the paopu fruit hanging above her. She thought of her and Sora's drawing in the secret spot._

_"What is happening to you, Sora?" she asked to herself._

_"He is changing," a voice answered back._

_Kairi sat bolt upright, back on her glass platform. She turned her head as she stood up and beheld a middle aged man in black robes. She gazed at his sash and it's foreign scripture._

_"Who are you? And what does that say?" Kairi asked._

_"The sash answers both questions. Anuwëy, the Creator," he answered. She put a hand to her necklace Sora got her._

_"Yes, that pendent is very special. I created it myself. It links me to the mortal worlds that you traverse," Anuwëy told her._

_"Are you saying there are immortal worlds?" she questioned._

_"There are, and I reside in one of them, high in a plane of existence that only the ageless may go in. I am a god, you see," he answered._

_"Is that a prayer that is inscribed on the back of my pendent?"_

_"Yes, humans made it once upon a time, long ago. Ever since it has been a prayer of good faith and virtue," he explained as he walked around Kairi's platform._

_"What do you mean Sora's changing?" Kairi continued to question as she sat humbly down before the god._

_"Everyone and everything changes. The worlds move on, the stars drift by, and people change. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not so much. Sora is changing, and it is not that good," Anuwëy confessed._

_"How is he changing? What is happening to him?"_

_"Sora is losing his happiness. Sora is forgetting his optimism. He sees everything that has happened as a failure. He is not used to such things, so the slightest troubling can easily hurt him. Let alone when the Witch, Maleficent, has beaten him in this battle. His side, the side you all fight for, is losing." Anuwëy took after Kairi and sat down cross-legged in front of her._

_"But why would that change him?" Kairi asked._

_"It's not simple, but he is sinking into sadness. If it goes unchecked, it may easily go into a depression. Kairi, you must be there for him. And there is more than one way to help him. Do not be afraid to do what you must to save him from himself," Anuwëy warned._

_"Is that why you came here? To tell me Sora's becoming sad?" she asked, confused._

_"Partly. I also come to warn you," and he cleared his throat._

_In power, wisdom, knowledge you will grow,_

_Yet some things close to you will break._

_You will bring together those divided,_

_And an empire you will help retake._

_With star in hand_

_He will fix the past._

_You will be the mother of Light and Storm_

_And home is where you will go last._

_When the star falls down from high in the sky,_

_On the inside you will also die._

_"I hate prophecies," Kairi muttered. Fear drenched her heart at the last lines._

_"Most all do, but please listen to me. They do not always mean what they say. Kairi, you have a lot to do. Without you, Sora will surely fail. You must take responsibility, grow, and achieve much in this land and others. Now, I must go. Remember what was said here."_

_Kairi watched as he vanished into thin air._

**HoL:RftA**

_Tower of Ahkthra, I'ltorien_

_October 5, 2010_

Morvlan felt fear settle into his bones. Being the eldest Vysril in the clan, he never felt intimidation, never felt lesser, and he never felt fear.

Except for now … he was dripping with it.

The Crimson King stood before him, shrouded in a blood red cloak and hood. It trailed behind him as he paced around Morvlan's study at the top of the tower. The room, which normally felt like a smithy's furnace now felt like a butcher's ice box. Morvaln may have been a Long-timer … but The Crimson King … he was an All-timer. He was a higher up in the order of things, in the fate of all. White hair poured out from the hood and a gleam of light shined off of a single hooked tooth protruding from his wicked mouth. A black widow spider crawled on his shoulder. Morvlan kept his head bowed and stayed in his kneeling position.

"Morvlan … I need them dead. Especially Argovaron. He has been alive for far too long. Mateus needs to be out of the picture as well. And the Key-bearer," the Crimson King uttered quietly. It was like pure black frost poured from his mouth, chilling the room with a dark and ancient evil.

"Y-yes your Lord. I will make sure the three of them die. But, may I ask you a question?" He stuttered as he spoke.

"I allow this."

"What threat do the Short-timers serve?"

The Crimson King let the black widow crawl onto his hand.

"Your feeble mind cannot understand the meanings of the fate that this entire universe is about to experience. Hundreds of thousands of years hinge on Sora and his friends. I need the two fools that run this nation out of the way because they may interfere with fate. One of them is a Random, but I do not know which. Kill both of them, and problem solved …" He smiled sickly, and turned away from Morvlan.

"Of course, my Lord, I should have realized. Thank you for your enlightenment," Morvlan replied quietly, his head still bent to face the floor.

"Your attempts to placate me from murdering you are admirable. I need you because you are a tool. Once you help me, I will help you, and then I will forget about you for a long time. But, if Sora is not stopped, then things may become … troublesome in the future for both me … and you. Hah hah hah!" he cackled, and it sent ripples of numbing sensation through Morvlan. The Crimson King stood before the stained glass window, opened his mouth, and let the spider crawl in, and then his jaws shut. Morvlan could see a bulge in his throat trickle down. He could feel the legs of the spider poke The Crimson King's flesh, like pinpricks of chaos and death.

"Do not fail me Morvlan. Now, myself and Randall must go infest the dreams of a young woman that will decide the fate of all things. She is of the utmost importance to me as of now," The Crimson King said.

"I thought your mind was set upon Roland of Gilead? Who is this woman?" Morvlan dared to ask. The Crimson King chuckled.

"Alexia Deschain."

The Crimson King vanished.

**HoL:RftA**

_Harbinger Base, I'ltorien_

_October 5, 2010_

Sora woke up in a soft bed with a loud knocking at the door. As soon as the knock was done, Ike entered the room without waiting for Sora to answer.

"Come on you rock head, out of the bed. The sun is about to break into the valley and you have your trials today. Here, I brought you some leather armor. I had to guess the sizes by looking at you, but I'm pretty sure I got it right. Now hurry up and get bathed and dressed. Breakfast is halfway over!" Ike explained, throwing the leather set to Sora which hit him in the stomach.

"Yeah, yeah I'm up, I'm up," Sora joked as he threw the cover off of him and stood up as Ike left the room. Sora was glad this place had plumbing as he filled a metal tub full of cold water. Lucky for him, he could heat it up with magic. Something Tina had told him was that almost all of the population couldn't cast magic in this world. She was an exception, but she wouldn't tell him why. He hadn't pried, but he was definitely curious.

Once he was done washing and drying himself, he changed into some cloth clothing, better fitting now, and then he pulled his armor on. It was standard leather armor, a chest piece, leggings, gauntlets, and a cap which he didn't put on yet. He strapped on some heavy boots and summoned his Keyblade, doing a few poses and laughing at himself. The armor fit perfectly as it bent around his body to his will, and then he remembered …

"Breakfast is half over!?" He slammed the door to his room behind him and ran down the hall, following his nose. He had to ask a few times for directions, and after a few times he ran the wrong way, he finally arrived for breakfast. Kairi was not in the large mess hall, probably having already finished her food. So he ran over to the cooks, grabbed what they gave him, and then scarfed it down, which was good as Ike came in after him.

"Well it's about time. Get up, we're leaving soon," Ike said as Sora stood up.

"But what time is it? The trials are this early?" Sora complained as they walked out a set of doors into the early morning.

"It'll take almost all day to do them," Ike assured. They continued through the base until they came to a clearing, exiting the ring of tens. Kairi was waiting there with Tina. The Mìelthrì Forest was a line of darkness in the distance.

"Let me guess," Sora began with a lifted finger.

"Yes," Tina answered before turning around and walking toward that dark line.

"How long is this walk?" Sora asked.

"Tina told me about forty-five miles," Kairi answered. Tina was talking with Ike in front of them.

"Geez, this is gonna take forever!" Sora whined.

"We can run if you want?" Tina asked over her shoulder.

"No no no no, I didn't mean-"

"Keep up the pace you two!" Ike shouted back as he and Tina began to run. Sora was flabbergasted as they ran much quicker than he thought was possible. He gave Kairi an apologetic look and began to run after them, and not nearly at the same pace.

About a third of the way there, fifteen miles, Sora and Kairi had to stop. Ike and Tina had kept going and were tiny dots on the horizon.

"You just … had to open … that goofy … mouth of yours," Kairi panted as she collapsed into the grass. There was no water nearby, so Sora took his Keyblade to conjure some water to drink and splash all over himself.

"I didn't … think … they would … run," he replied. Their panting filled the quiet, cloudless day. It was chilly and the ocean wind slapped into their sweaty skin, cooling them further. The moist air racked their lungs.

"How can they … run like that?" Kairi asked. Sora collapsed next to her, his hair clumping to his forehead.

"I have a feeling that … that this world is going to be tough," he said. Water formed in the air and splashed them. The leather armor hadn't helped the run any.

"What do you mean?" Kairi's breath was returning to normal, but she lay spread eagle in the grass.

"I mean that this world and its people are tougher. And that's gonna be harder on us," he said, sitting up. They took another ten minutes of rest before running again.

It was noon by the time they had arrived to the border of the forest. They had had another break at the thirty mile mark, and now they had arrived, where Tina and Ike were chomping on some fruits Sora had never seen before.

"Is there … any left … for us?" Sora panted as he fell against a tree. Kairi sat next to him. Juice squirted out as Ike took a mega-sized bite out of the purple fruit, some dribbled down his chin.

"Yesh," he tried to articulate. Sora's eyes brightened. He felt his energy beginning to return to him.

"Where!?" he asked enthusiastically. Tina held up the core of her fruit into the air for a bird to catch and finish off. Out of a pack she pulled a scroll and handed it to Kairi.

"Your trials are about to begin. There are three parts of this. On this map, there are three locations with items you must get. The first one is related to magic, the second is about your physical prowess, and the third will be explained there. The first item, is this amazing fruit that only grows through the magic of the Mìelthrì Forest: the Ashen Fruit."

Sore felt his heart drop and his energy drain.

"We have to find it!?" he exclaimed in exasperation.

"Yesh. But itsh worth the search," Ike tried to say.

"We can't give you any specifics on the next one, just that you'll know the second item when you see it," Tina explained. "Oh … and watch out for the Rikjaras. Those will make a point to warn you through your ears." Then she and Ike disappeared into the dense sprawl of the forest. Sora trudged over to Kairi where they unfurled the map. The number one marked they're first objective. Since it was about noon, they had to judge the map to find out what direction was north. Once they had, they began to trek through the Mìelthrì Forest.

Even around the borders, the enchanted forest was dense. From hearing the Harbingers talk about the forest, he knew it was inhabited by elves and other animals and creatures. The elven magic had radiated outward from the heart of the forest and warped the biome, causing the place to, well, mystify. Already, Sora could feel the power of the magic mess with his thoughts, but he shrugged it away. They weren't in too deep, and so the power couldn't take hold of him yet.

They crossed a babbling stream, running downhill into the center of the forest. Insect life and animals buzzed around them, rustling through the thick and massive trees, always going unseen by Sora and Kairi's eyes. The trees extended to the sky, reaching like strong, aged fingers. The ground was soft underfoot.

"We're not far away, if this is the stream we're edging along," Kairi breathed. Sora snapped his head around, looking in different directions, his chocolate spikes flinging.

"Let's go this way," he said, pointing towards a sprawling undergrowth. Kairi shook her head in agreement, her violet, streaming hair bouncing. They parted through the brush as the tiny thorns pricked at them. They heard something pierce the air. Sora slammed his hands to his ears as Kairi did the same. The high pitch ripped through the forest, and then suddenly ended.

"What was that!?" Kairi exclaimed.

"I think I know what the Rikjara is now …" Sora replied hesitantly. They crept through the last wall of brush and came into a clearing. There was a hill here, rising above the rest of the damp earth. And sitting on this hill was a massive tree, where the top gleamed with the Ashen Fruit … but only the top. Flying all around it were … birds?

No, these were the Rikjaras. Imagine, if you will, a large bird, with a curvy spine, almost like the letter S. The head connects to this, and a large black and orange beak protrudes forward, hooking downward. Large, bulbous, glassy black eyes sheen in its head, while matted feathers cover its disfigured body. The feathers range in color, and no Rikjara looks the same. Large talons spring from claws tucked under its slim belly. A tail silkily waves behind it, and screeches loud enough to break eardrums within seconds, if at a close enough range.

"This is going to be hard," Sora muttered stepping up to the hill. As if on instinct, Sora and Kairi sprinted into different directions around the tree just as the scream of the birds fell upon them. It was ear-splitting, and Sora felt his legs buckle beneath him, causing him to fall face-first into the dirt, rolling slightly down the hill.

"How are we supposed to get to the top?" Sora asked himself. He never even heard his own voice over the screech. He summoned his Keyblade.

"Here goes nothing … Shell!" he shouted. A barrier of green light formed in front of him, and the noise softened, but barely. "Not enough," he muttered.

"Reflect!" he chanted. The bubble formed around him, and that did it. The sound vanished. Their voices were an attack, not natural sound. The only problem was, that his Shell spell dissipated after a few moments. He had to keep his spell up as he moved.

"Reflect!" he roared again, and this time began to sprint. His feet thundered on the grass and then ate into bark as he began to climb. His spell began to weaken, and the Rikjaras were like whistles from afar, growing louder, like an oncoming train. He did not vocally chant this time, but he focused his mind and energy into keeping the spell up. His hands wrapped around branches, and then he saw a glimpse of auburn. Kairi was climbing now, too.

Sora peered out of the branches and dark green leaves. The day was hot, but it felt unnaturally cool in the recesses of the tree. He kept monitoring his shell, continuously pouring energy into it to keep I strong as they neared the top. His muscles screamed with fire, and his head felt light. The top was near. He grabbed a sturdy branch and flung himself upward as hard as he could. He soared out of the canopy of the tree and it felt like time momentarily stopped.

All around him was the forest, spanning in different directions. He could see the area they came in, and the base was like a dot in the distance. The world was beautiful from this high, from this view. The Rikjaras flew around with their brutish beaks agape, screeching a silent warning. And then he was falling back into the tree.

"Kairi!" he said with a smile. She was sitting there looking at him and chomping into an Ashen Fruit. She handed the fruit to him, and he took a bite out of it. The taste was unlike anything he could have imagined. The texture was gritty and so soft that it was almost a liquid. The taste was like an explosion of the senses, like every fruit he had every eaten in one. Some dribbled onto his chin, just like Ike had. Kairi scooped it up with a finger and ate it. And they laughed together. It was a truly peaceful moment, something that could last forever.

"Hey, do you hear something?" Sora asked. He thought he heard some whistling.

"Yeah, I think s-" the fresh fruit they just picked fell from their hands as they plugged their ears. And they also fell. The branches in the massive tree were very spread out, and they were falling straight towards the ground at an alarming rate. His hair whipped around his face, and his arms nicked branches here and there. His mind was spinning, trying to think of a way to save them from this fall. Suddenly, as he slammed into a branch and twisted around as he fell, he thought of an idea. Sora pulled Kairi in close to him and screamed:

"Zero Graviga!" A barrier formed around them, and when they hit the ground, the barrier cushioned the fall to almost nothing. Instead of a fall that was three hundred feet, it lessened to about five feet. They stood up, gathered themselves, and collected the fruit on the ground and ran away, leaving the piercing screams in the background, which eventually stopped.

"Wow, I can't believe that worked so well," Sora said.

"That was fast thinking," Kairi replied, as she unfurled the map.

"I couldn't imagine what it would have been like from even higher," Sora said with a shudder. They looked at the map, and without another word, lifted their feet and went on their way.

**HoL:RftA**

_Radiant Garden_

_October 14, 2010_

"What do you mean that you were wrong, Merlin?" Aerith asked him as they were in his study. Books and books and even more books were everywhere in the room.

"What I mean is that I read the whole thing completely wrong!" Merlin shouted. He flipped through the pages of the aged book.

"And what does that mean for Alexia?" Aerith pursued.

"It means that when I told her she had Eagle Vision, that I was wrong. I was _very_ wrong," he answered. He muttered some more things to himself and then gasped. He dropped the book onto his desk in a puff of dust. He fell back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

"What is it, Merlin? I've never seen you this way," Aerith pleaded.

"I don't know what it is going on with Alexia, but what is for sure… it's not in the control of our plane of existence," he said.

"What?" was the simple question from Aerith.

"What I mean is that something … or_ someone_ is controlling what is happening to her. This is not under any _mortal_ influence. She's beginning to Drift. Anuwëy help her …"

**HoL:RftA**

_Back in the Mìelthrì Forest …_

_October 5, 2010_

"I'm telling you! It's supposed to be RIGHT HERE!" Kairi shouted at Sora.

"Why are you shouting!" he screamed back.

"Because that waterfall is so loud!" she replied just as loud. Yes, about a hundred feet away, the forest floor disappeared and gave birth to a lake hundreds of feet down below. The forest rim was the same all around, but a lake was just there, in the middle of the forest, hundreds of feet into the earth. A waterfall fell from the vertical wall of the cliff, as if from an underground river or cavern.

"Well I'm not seeing whatever we're supposed to be finding!" Sora yelled over the falls.

"Then did we read the map wrong?" Kairi asked him. He looked at it.

"No, we're definitely in the right area, but where …" Sora stopped and his eyes widened in realization. He looked at Kairi and she understood as well. They both walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the waterfall below.

"We have to go in there, don't we?" Kairi asked.

"I think there is a cave behind the waterfall," Sora suggested.

"What makes you say that?"

"Video game logic," he replied with a smile. She giggled at that.

"But how do we-"

"Wisdom!" and in a flash of blue and white, he transformed into his wisdom form, hovering in the air. "This form isn't as tiring as Final or Master," he explained. He grabbed her by the waist and went out over the cliff. She screamed at first.

"KAI! It's alright! Geez, do you have to break my ears after the Rikjaras?" he asked with a smile. She hid her face into his neck as he turned around and glided straight towards the spewing falls.

"Hold on, we're about to get soaked!" he said with a childlike laughter as they forced through the falls and right into a cave. He landed and exited his Wisdom form, letting Kairi down onto the slimy floor. The cave was very tall and it went back quite a ways. In the very back was a chest.

"Bingo," Sora said. Sora never noticed that he stepped on a broken sign. The earth trembled, and then a massive … something burst out of the water from behind them with a guttural growling scream. It soared over their heads and crashed into the ground before them. It whipped around and let out another scream. It's mouth brimmed with electricity.

Sora took a few steps back with Kairi. It was big and blue. Scales flexed all around its blue body. A giant maw like an alligator's opened and screamed again, showing large, white teeth. Orange eyes glowed from its skull. Large horn-like spikes protruded from its back, colored a blueish-red tinge. Sparks flew off of them. A huge tail (with more spikes) slammed into the cave floor. It had four legs to move around on, like a large lizard. It reared on its hind claws, exposing its pale, ivory underside. It slammed into the ground with a defiant roar.

Sora almost tripped over the ancient sign he had stepped on before. He looked down

"Beware the Lagiacrus," he read aloud. He looked back at the monster. Sora's blue eyes reflected the bright lightning arcing around its body. It slammed its tail again, and an electrical shockwave coursed through the room.

"Sora, distract it!" Kairi yelled. Her voiced echoed in the cave with the sound of the Lagiacrus.

"Come on, you overgrown fish, let's dance!" Sora said, shooting a Thundaga at the Lagiacrus. The creature just simply absorbed it, and the blue of its scales grew paler, but only slightly.

"I should have thought about that …" Sora muttered to himself. The Lagiacrus slithered towards him on its feet and reared up a good seventy feet in the air. It opened its mouth wide and spewed lightning in different volleys and orbs at him. Sora dodged with a roll on way as the sea monster slammed back down, causing the cave to rumble. Stalactites rained from the ceiling, crashing around him, one blasting apart into debris and slicing his right leg. The ground beneath him fried with electricity and his muscles went rigid with contraction. The beast's tail whipped around and slammed into Sora's body, flinging him into the cave wall with an incredible thud. His limp body hit the ground.

"Ouch," Sora whispered as he stood back up. The Lagiacrus had turned away from him and was eying Kairi, who was running frantically for the chest.

"Oi! Fish sticks!" Sora screamed, firing a massive Firaga at the creature. It collided into one of the lightning horns on its back. A sick _crack_ filled the cavern as the horn blasted into pieces. The Lagiacrus howled in pain and reverted its attention back to Sora, its usual orange eyes brimming with fire red and lightning blue.

"Hehe, uh-oh," Sora joked as a massive stream of lightning that did not stop flourished in his direction. He sprinted to the right, and the acrid smell of char filled the air where the lightning smote the cave wall behind him. Sora arced his run towards the leviathan and rolled under a huge swipe of its razor-sharp claws. Sora, now growing fond of using the original Kingdom Key, swiped up into the rib cage of his foe. It barely punctured the body before an area of effect shockwave blasted him backward, causing him to roll in the slime. The Lagiacrus' tail slammed into him while he was down. Blood trickled from his mouth.

"Kairi! I can't do this alone!" he shouted as rolled away from another tail swipe. He swung at it, and the Kingdom Key bit into the thing with a gratifying _thunk_. Kairi, on the other hand, was at the chest finally. She slammed it open to find a scroll. She quickly unfurled it and read:

"Retrieve the plate," she said to herself. She threw the map to the ground and ran back to Sora.

"We have to get something called the plate off it!" she screamed. Sora threw up a Shell to protect himself from a miasma of electrical breath. It ended and reared up for another impact. Sora dove out of the way as it crashed into the ground, splashing grimy slime in every direction, coating Sora and Kairi in the foul muck.

"The plate?! What's that?" Sora said as he blasted a wide arc of fire at the creature. It flinched before resuming its assault.

"What's that?" Kairi said as an arc of lightning hissed between them. She was pointing at a substance on the ground. It was a thick, gooey, reddish-green ooze laced with purple.

"It's blood! From the tail!" Sora shouted in answer as a hand beat him into the ground. Kairi flourished an impressive wave of fire—seeing as how fire affected the Lagiacrus the most—and pushed it back. It hissed and blasted her with lightning.

"Ah! Then … cut the tail off!" she tried to shout as she dodged a swipe of the creature.

"Keep it busy with more fire!" Sora ordered. He ran around to the back of the Lagiacrus and almost got roasted, too. Here's why:

Kairi felt the magic course through her. It felt… stronger. Sora said she had been better than him at magic when he began. Was the force of this world unlocking her power? Not, it was her. She was sure of it. Either way, she felt it course within her and she unleashed a chaotic storm of fire in the cave, without even meaning to. She brought the Keyblade close into her chest, dipped her head and closed her eyes. It felt as though time slowed down. The slime at her feet crackled and dried. She snapped outward, her blade slashing through the air and she let out a defiant scream. In a blasting shockwave, fire and energy detonated from her body in a tempest of heat and power. Fire rained from the ceiling and burst from the ground and whipped about in the air. Her violet hair snapped from her head and she looked beautiful amongst the chaos.

"Holy crap," Sora said. The Lagiacrus must have thought that, too. Fire enveloped its body as it thrashed around. Sora ran forward and jumped into the air, and Star Fox would have been proud of him, because he did the mother of all barrel rolls. He brought his Keyblade out and sliced through the tail, and kept hacking into it while spinning. He chanted and his blade caught fire and he continued to saw through the tail. Kairi kept up her assault, and soon it began to flee.

"Oh no you don't," Sora said, turning into his Valor form. He rushed forward, and with two of his Keyblades, he finished the tail off, cutting it and leaving it behind as the creature jumped out and into the water.

"Woo! We did it!" Kairi shouted in joy. Then she realized that they were covered in soot, blood, slime and who knew what else.

"Kai, you were amazing. I've never been able to do something like that," he said in genuine awe. She blushed.

"Thanks, Sora," she replied. He nodded at her and then turned to the Lagiacrus' tail, still oozing its foul blood.

"So, what about the plate?," Sora said as Kairi walked around the tail

"You think it's this big thing here?" she asked in return. Sora walked over and look at a peculiar scale that was quite different than the other pieces and slightly bigger.

"I guess it has to be, or else we're not passing this part," Sora said as they began to cut this plate off. Once it was, they braced themselves to continue onward and out of the cave.

"I really don't want to go in that water," Kairi pointed out. Sora silently agreed. He then noticed a small ledge at the far end of the mouth.

"I think I found our way out," Sora said.

**HoL:RftA**

_Avéladré, I'ltorien_

_October 13, 2010_

It'd be tomorrow. If it all went according to plan, King would be a free man forty eight hours into the future. That is, if his gamble had been even remotely successful.

These were most of King's thoughts while he walked through the northern wall of the city. He was utilizing his own lunch time for this incursion, wanting to stray as little from his appointed schedule as he possibly could. He normally followed diligently, meaning that starting to miss some of it just meant all eyes would be on him. Last thing he needed on the eve of leaving was more attention.

That being said, King had a very specific reason for being in this wall, more specifically in the guard tower of it. The Northeast tower was both far and not complete opposite of the still destroyed wall that had come from the explosion of the facility where Christina had been. Meaning there was no involuntary bias in guarding the opposite tower as a result of predicting the reverse psychology of escaping towards the farthest side of the obviously easiest escape route.

King had slithered through the corridors of the tower, taking extra care in not letting his Vanish shroud even falter while keeping his footsteps as quiet as the night. Crossing more than a few guards, his tension was hitting its peak by now. He knew he only had half an hour at most to be at the training grounds to administer the standard practice to his subordinates, but he also knew that being caught here would both put him under the eye of the guards and raise awareness for them on the night after.

Luckily for him, lunch break seemed to have taken most out of the corridors except for the obvious patrol that would fill in while the others rested. In no less than five minutes, King had finally made it to his destination. The stone basement of the building.

"Not the tidiest bunch the Alondite division, are they?" King mentally commented as soon as he had the door locked. Mainly used as a storage room, the dark, damp room was littered with everything necessary for said location: food, equipment, weapons among others, most of which still in their original wooden crates. This made King's task a bit more difficult than what he would like, as he had to rummage around for a few minutes before finding his objective. The circular sewer lid.

"Let's hope this isn't sealed…" King knew there had been many incidents of the lids being sealed due to the… state of the sewers below. Fortunately, this wasn't one of them, as the Quel'Serrar neatly plopped it off the circular standing where it was, allowing King to bring it to the side. Looking down on it, he touched it with his sword, pouring the slightest stream of mana through it as he drew an X-shape on the lid, leaving behind a crystal trail to mark it. "Alright, done," he let himself say in relief.

"Sloppy as always, aren't you?" the voice said, King's brain only not reacting violently due to how ingrained said voice had been. "Here, let me," Celes told him, nonchalantly removing him from her way and leaning towards the lid. "Vanish!" she chanted, making the crystal disappear. Shaking her head and combing her hair with her hands, she turned to King and simply said: "The spell will expire in forty six hours. Wouldn't want anyone to catch it before we make our run for it,"

"Things can't ever be simple with you? You could tell me you were coming before doing all of this…" King said, knowing it had fallen on deaf ears.

"I trust you to have a brain. Well, shall we get going? We barely have more than a quarter of an hour to get back to the training grounds," Celes told him, quickly cloaking herself in her Vanish spell. King knew she was right, he'd talk to her once they were out of this god forsaken wall.

The duo left the room and analyzed the rest of corridors, slowly confirming that they were still, in fact, empty.

"We should split up. Meet up at the front entrance," King told Celes, both soldiers following the suggestion immediately and without question. They could not try and walk out together, the chances of one of them making a bit too much noise were too many.

King took the same path he had taken when coming into the tower, using the same amount of caution he had had the last time he threaded those corridors. For the most part, it was quiet and safe. It took him only five steps to stop completely, drop the cloak and try to make himself stop trembling.

"I can feel it from this far away… that monstrous amount of mana. He's just around that corner," King gargled, looking across the hallway to a sudden turn that would take to the outside of the wall. What he had felt was something that had made him believe everything he had done was for naught. There was one person in the entire Empire that would have such a terrifying presence without even trying or being on guard. King's shroud would do nothing to fool his eyes, his only shot was acting as natural as possible and slither his way through him. With that in mind, he took a deep breath and crossed the corner.

"Commander Orlandeu!" he called, saluting his former master of the sword. The elder man didn't even act surprised at seeing King at such a deserted corner of the city, something that was ingrained as King's greatest fear. There was no disposing of Cidolfus Orlandeu, even if he would try. There was a reason why he stood at the top of Mateus' ultimate military project, the Imperial Triad. That had once been Thunder God Cid, Flame Empress "One" and him, the Frost King, yet, with Christina's escape it had quickly became Thunder God Cid, Dark Emperor Argovaron and him. Even still he was at the top. And it was not an exaggeration that for King to fight him it would be like a human to challenge a God.

"Stand down boy, you're the same rank as I am now," Orlandeu told him, dismissing his stance with a shake of the head. King did his best to act naturally, relaxing his stance, even though he was sure Orlandeu was sure to see through it. "Yes child, it's easy for me to know you're concealing your intentions." At that moment, King went stiff. If it had been any other, he'd draw his sword and try for the best, but not this person. Not to his mentor and fatherly figure. Especially knowing that he'd accomplish nothing outside of losing a limb or dying. "However, you are my last hope to maintain my honor,"

"Your… honor?" King asked, not comprehending anything Orlandeu could be implying. There was no one more honorable than him, that was common knowledge.

"A man's honor lies on what he sets out to do. If an oath he has made is ever broken, that man is no knight," Orlandeu told King as he handed him one letter. "I vowed to get this to an important friend's child. If you would be so kind as to save my knighthood, my eyes will lay where they have always lied. On the outer parts of the wall," King knew that Orlandeu was incapable of deceiving, his words and tone did not need to prove anything. King didn't know who this was addressed to, yet he knew that he had to give Orlandeu this last satisfaction. Not as his ticket out, but as a thanks for all he had done for him in the past. Training him, introducing him to the military, teaching him, looking the other way.

"I'll do it. I put my own honor as a man on the line," King told him, taking the envelope and sliding it onto his pocket.

"I am in debt towards you… but I'd say we'll be even in a day or so, will we not?" Cid asked with a small smile before continuing on his way, as if the conversation had never happened. King knew this may have been the last time he'd see his master on the same side as him, but this was a much better farewell than he could have hoped for, and he was grateful for it.

The rest of the walk had mostly come without consequence, he had met Celes at the entrance and they were now heading back into the training camp as King told Celes about his complete arrangement and what had happened with Cuore when he had revealed his plans to her. It still disturbed him how Celes looked happy at hearing how even Cuore didn't make a point to take Tor with them.

That is, until they spotted Tor walking in the same direction they were, far into the left. Accompanying him was none other than Cuore, something that baffled Celes and brought a bittersweet smile into King's face.

"What's that face all about, didn't you just say she didn't trust him? What's she doing spending time with him?" Celes seethed, her hatred having stopped her from even trying to seek an answer themselves.

"Sister… have you ever been friends with someone with obvious flaws?" he asked, not expecting Celes to calm down easily.

"Everyone has flaws, but Tor's are unforgivable!" she shouted, King praying that no one would hear her meltdown. Most were in practice already, but Tor couldn't find out they were leaving him for dead. Not yet.

"I won't blame you for thinking that, you have every right to. But the reality is that Tor is not an unsalvageable person. Not even close to it," King told her, her frostfire bolts for eyeballs prodding him into defending his point before it was too late.

"The Tor I know is much different from the Tor you know. He's trustworthy, funny if only by how clumsy and awkward he can be at times, friendly and always willing to help. He's basically a very good friend. For Cuore, he's more than that. He's almost like a brother, like we are to her. The Tor you know and the Tor Cuore knows we can't bring on the team wakes up every time a shot at climbing the ranks presents itself. Ruthless, unforgiving, cold and planning. Almost like he was a different person. I can't imagine whatever drove Tor to have gained that side of him… or if the side we know is fake. I can't give you an answer Celes, but I can say this. The reason why Cuore cried till sleep that night is because she couldn't save Tor,"

"Save him?" Celes questioned, finally leaving her trance.

"Kill that side of Tor, or make the one we know and love be the dominant one. It's something I've always tried to do, and something Cuore was making amazing progress on doing, but… time is too short. If we don't leave in two days, the schedules will be redrafted and Naga knows when we'll get another stable shot at escaping. If war breaks out during that time… it's over for Christina. I won't sacrifice Christina for Tor. I won't sacrifice her for anyone." King told Celes, taking a deep breath and leaving in the direction of the training field. He could only hope she'd at least have one last talk with him.

**HoL:RftA**

After having swam a great deal in a stream up in the forest floor, Sora and Kairi were ready to go for their third objective. Sora's head felt light and fuzzy, and he couldn't quite place the reason as to why. Kairi had mentioned that the forest had that effect on those not used to it. And if someone was in there for too long, then it could have devastating effects, even comas or death. The magic of the forest was its greatest asset, and its greatest defense. It was evening now, the sun was beginning to cast a reddish hue across the land, and the shade withing the forest became even darker than before. The trees whispered and the ground groaned. The forest was breathing.

"We're almost there," Kairi said looking down at the map. The forest was having less of an effect on her head. Sora had complimented her heavily on her show of magic earlier as they were climbing up the cliff face.

"About how much farther?" Sora asked from over her shoulder, looking at the map.

"You're here," came two voices.

Sora and Kairi snapped their heads up in unison to see who was before them. It was Tina and another woman whom they had seen around the camp.

"Hello, we haven't met yet. I am Elincia, a member of the Harbingers," she introduced. Tina stood next to her.

"You've done great so far, but this is the end of the trials. Kairi, you have to fight with Elincia. Sora, we are going to have a rematch, and I am excited, too," Tina explained. "Let us see your blades."

Sora and Kairi each summoned their Keyblades and Tina and Elincia stepped forward. The chanted a spell while weaving their hands around the blade itself. A bright, white light enveloped them like a barrier, and then faded to nothing.

"What was that?" Sora asked.

"We've dulled your blades. We have done the same to ours. It's so we don't kill each other," Elincia explained. Sora gulped.

"Kairi, come with me," Elincia said, leading her one way while Tina led Sora another way.

**HoL:RftA**

Kairi and Elincia arrived at what looked to be their battle arena after having Kairi's and Sora's Keyblade's enchanted with a Protect spell to prevent any cutting. Something that could only be described as a sea of trees, sunken outside of the reach of the sun. The treetops themselves were the only source of light, their magical leaves emitting a soft green light, mana being nearly tangible around Kairi. Elincia stopped right by what Kairi could only describe as a Pegasus. She calmed down her inner princess at seeing the legendary horse and instead wondered if she was going to have to fight Elincia on horseback. That would be too much for her right now, she had never fought someone at horseback, much less someone that could have the same level of physical condition as Ike and Tina.

"Kairi, this is Gwydion, my Pegasus. Don't worry, he won't bite," Elincia introduced the auburn haired girl, having seen right through her passion for the pegasi race. Kairi let her girl side take over for a moment and gave in to Gwydion's soft and perfectly groomed fur and plumage. She even got a lick across the cheek in return.

"Don't worry, you won't face me and Gwydion," Kairi looked at Elincia, slightly confused. "We determined you aren't ready to fight me on pegasusback during the rest of your trial. Even though this area was specifically chosen to give you a lesser handicap," it stung to hear it, but there was no malice in Elincia's voice. Only truth. The amount of tree trunks would give Kairi a way to get to the Pegasus and take mobility away from Elincia too, so… she was just too weak for Elincia's full scope, wasn't she?

"Still, I want to prove myself. Sora is doing his best by now, I'm sure, I won't stop either!" Kairi exclaimed, jumping back and summoning her Keyblade. Elincia gave her a small smile and nodded.

"That's the fire you shall need. En garde!" Elincia said, whipping up her sword like lightning and throwing her body forward faster than Kairi had imagined. She had covered the distance between her and Kairi, a good ten meters, in but a single step without momentum and was already swiping upwards with her blade. Kairi thought fast and barely dodged the sword, losing a few hair threads to the blade, but gaining what she thought to be a golden opportunity to counter and end this early. That is, if her rightmost side of her cornea didn't detect the inhuman shifting of Elincia's sword, which had arced downwards immediately, somehow disregarding the laws of momentum. Kairi had no choice but the block the woman's sword, giving up on her counter. The weight on the blade was far above anything she'd imagine someone of Elincia's build could possess. It looked like something she'd see out of Cloud, to the point where her feet sunk directly into the ground.

A glimpse of arcana flashed through her eyes around the edge of the blade, but she didn't regard it as much. She was stuck in the ground, with no escape and Elincia was still as mobile as ever. She had already retrieved her blade, albeit in a much more human-like way and was not about to give her any courtesy to escape. Kairi's lips and hand moved before her brain fully understood what to do.

"Holy!" a bright orb of light shot from her fingertips, hurling towards Elincia's slash and crashing into her sword, canceling the impact on it and forcing Elincia back a few meters with its force. Kairi took this opportunity to force her feet out of the dirt and regain her posture. After a few gasps for air, she told Elincia: "You used magic on that strike, didn't you? I saw the mana…" Elincia looked slightly impressed.

"You are quite talented if you saw it at your level. I didn't truly use magic. If anything, magic used me," Elincia told Kairi as she held out her sword. A longsword consecrated with a golden winged guard and hilt, along with the famous Crimean Emerald on each side of it. "The Amiti has been in the Crimean bloodline for millennia. Each strike we perform, the sword will replicate in another direction of our choosing. Normal laws of space and time do not apply to the ancient magic in this blade. But that is only fair… I am fighting a Keyblade Wielder, aren't I?" Elincia half taunted as she saw the fear in Kairi's face. Kairi, while daunted, had not yet lost her posture completely, instead shaking herself into regaining it. That sword was incredible, but as Elincia said, it was but on the same level as hers. "However, this match is over,"

"Wh-what?!" Kairi asked in confusion and frustration. Was Elincia giving up? Or was she…

"I have seen one fatal flaw in your style," Kairi was about to blare out how that was impossible in merely one exchange, but Elincia wasn't about to take it. "If you do not believe me, I'll show you so you can evolve above it," she drew a line on the ground and stood on it. "I'll move when you do so,"

Kairi couldn't help but feel she was being baited in. It'd make sense, as right now Elincia had shown no proficiency in magic. For all the outrage Kairi felt at the taunt, she was far from falling into it. She was not Sora or the young Riku, her blood was much colder to insults. For that, she realized that the best course of action seemed to be magic. And magic just happened to be her strong suit. She still remembered the tingling feeling from the Lagiacrus. While she would not be able to completely entrance herself into it so easily, replicating it was not impossible.

Mana blared out of her body as her mind entered her own trance she had concocted in the shadow of the old one, her Keyblade dancing in front of her in runic movements, calling down magic she was not even aware of.

"Burning Firaga!" in a strange redundancy, her powers called down multiple meteor-like fire balls that flew through the foliage of the trees and into Elincia, covering her thin body in hellfire and brimstone. Kairi could not lie, this power felt… otherworldly, almost like it wasn't hers. Something she could not lay upon herself as the cloud of smoke obscured her vision but not her hearing. She heard the rustling of leaves and the cracking of a twig to her right, gasping as she saw Elincia flying her direction, her feet having used the twig as a momentum shifter.

Her mind slowly shifted gears, leaving her trance and moving her arm in Elincia's direction. Yet, there was something amiss…

"STUN!" Elincia shouted, green light imbuing her blade moments before it hit Kairi's powerless hands. Kairi could only watch in complete confusion as her body failed to do as she commanded and Elincia passed by her, landing behind her back and surely preparing for a follow-up. Kairi realized she would need magic to continue in the fight. Her body was forced to shift gears once again, slowly summoning her trance.

"IMPALE!" She couldn't afford that, not now. She cried out:

"Protect!" only to have her emerald barrier crumble at the mere scratch of her opponent's blade.

"Touché…" Elincia claimed as her blade now touched Kairi's back, pointing towards her heart.

It wasn't even a contest.

**HoL:RtfA**

During this time, Sora had already started his match against Christina. They didn't need any words to share when they arrived at the waterfall clearing. They knew what this was, a continuation of Olympus Coliseum. As such, Tina had commenced just as she had finished the last one… well, before something took over her. Bombarding Sora with all the elements he knew and more. It had been five minutes already, and Sora had done nothing but dodge. Not as successfully as he'd like either, as his clothes were more than just charred.

Tina was not as good as she was in Olympus. She was much better. Her spells now homed on Sora, were more plentiful and some of them even were bolstered by Haste while others were purposely slowed with Slow to create a bullet hell of spells that would make Touhou jealous.

"Sora, you can't win by running! Are you really the hero that saved all worlds? How can you not overcome even this?!" Tina exclaimed, not to mock Sora, it was too… encourage him. Something Sora found almost as insane as he was. Encouraging an enemy, that was something from HIS book! A very characteristic smile came onto Sora's face as he mumbled:

"My book, huh? Well, worth a shot!" with that, Sora jumped into the very epicenter of the storm of elements, diverting what he could with his Keyblade. Once he realized that there was no way forward, as it had all but been eliminated in the chaotic rain of magic around him, he cried out with all his power: "Reflega!" the prismatic barrier showing itself tenfold of the size that it was on the tree. As all the spells collided into it in exact synchrony, it exploded, the ensuing blast redirecting spells in unreadable trajectories.

Any sane person would wait for the catastrophic rain to end before jumping in. And that's exactly why Sora cast Haste unto himself and jumped in anyway. He jumped, weaved and slid between the apocalypse of magic around him, jumping up to avoid a falling Thundaga Shot and using his new advantageous position to scout for Tina. As he expected, she hadn't moved from the same place, either being immune to her own magic or simply knowing it wouldn't hit her. Sora smirked when he saw that her vision angle was clearly not encompassing him and hurled his Keyblade at her. It was blunt, so it was just going to hurt a lot.

The Keyblade flew in a zigzag through the air and slashed right through Tina … Sora did a double take. For a moment he cursed himself, thinking that he had actually cut through the girl, but the flickering and dematerialization of the one he formerly knew as One made him realize that this had been an illusion.

"Blink can be quite handy, can't it?" Tina asked Sora just as he landed. The dust all around Sora had already cleared, taken away by a wind he was sure to be Tina's doing. Across the clearing from him were more than a dozen images of Tina, all moving completely independently from each other. He shook his head and tried, hit the back of it and thought.

"Okay Sora, she knows your every move, or at least most. You know barely anything about her… I guess it's about time we go one step beyond, huh?" Sora decided, realizing that none of the forms he had used against her would work, as she was easily stronger than before and she was already able to dominate him in them previously. Final wasn't about to cut it either, if this was going to end, it was going to have to end in an instant. And there was only one way to do it. Sora smiled back at Tina and took a deep breath before shouting:

"LIMIT FORM!" his clothes and body exploding in the same white light as they always did, but the result was something vastly different than his other forms. The Limit Form was something that did not change his appearance into something new, but instead summoned the clothes of the past back onto him, changing his clothing into one completely mirroring his original Destiny Island garbs… albeit actually fitting him this time. Any glorifying he could try and do was promptly shut down as a giggle came from the direction of Tina. "What? You saying I don't look cool in these?"

"It's just… your shoes are really big," she told him with another giggle, making Sora chuckle himself. Yeah, the shoes he had used before were at least three sizes bigger than his feet, the form had scaled them into proportion. "Still, you have another form? Why didn't you use it on the Coliseum?"

On a normal fight, no one would ever coup out the secret so easily. But this was not a normal fight, and this was Sora we're talking about. Naturally, he explained it right away.

"While this one is really strong I can barely maintain it. The others are just better for all other situations," which suddenly reminded him of a very important detail. "Crap, that means I have to finish this fast! No hard feelings, aye?" he asked Tina, whose dozen visages just shook their head. "Alright, here it goes! Ready…" Sora jumped into the air, pointing at the general direction of the Tinas. "Aim…" a glyphed circle came into view in front of his Keyblade, making all the Tinas prepared to evade the coming attack. "Fire, Ragnarok!" dozens fulminating rays of light flew out of the gate Sora had created, seeking and homing into every single one of the illusions, the bare mana constructs not being nearly skilled enough to evade them for long.

One by one they fell, all but one, the only one able to block them and not fizzle out. Sora was of course expecting this and was rushing towards Tina, Dodge Rolling just below her retaliatory Firaga Burst and summoning one of his powers one of his powers yet again.

"Ars… Arcanum!" his body, now coated in light magic, moved at blinding speed as he rained down tens of blows in Tina's direction, forcing her to do something that she had really not been forced to do during this entire match. Dodge. Up until now it had only been a game of the cat and mouse, but now it was a real match. That was not as good for Sora as he'd hoped.

Time passed and he just kept missing. He had probably swung more than a hundred times, but none of them had even nicked Tina by this point, and he knew she could have countered much earlier. It deeply annoyed him that even now he felt like he was being tested, not actually fought. With those feelings frustration building up, he released them all in a final Bash with his Keyblade, sliding it across the right side of Tina and in the direction of her neck. It had been far faster and far stronger than any of the other strikes, something that forced Christina to finally parry a blow.

Sora's smile was, of course, immediately extinguished as Tina used her free hand to blow him away with a giant chunk of ice. He managed to get his act together and kick the ice away to land safely not that far away from Tina. He emerged with a victorious smile too.

"Made ya block!" Sora exclaimed with a giant smile. For once, his smile didn't have the effect he thought it would.

"Sora… I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation! Making me block should be something natural, not just a victory!" Tina exclaimed, feeling disrespected and appalled at Sora's apparent lack of care about the spar. Sora shook his head:

"Relax, relax! This next one will be my last," Sora told her, feeling in complete control of the rhythm of the match. He lowered his stance, switching the blade into a backhand grip as he did, closed his eyes and stilled. Moments later, he vanished from his resting place, his dash having been so fast that no normal creature would have been able to spot it even begin. As his sword cut through the air, he howled: "Zantetsuken!" He felt his sword collide with Tina's flesh, being happy that Protect was in place. If not he would have cut through her…

"So … this is the power required to save your worlds?" Tina's voice asked, Sora noticing that there was something wrong right away. She was talking as if he had not even hit. Not only that, her voice was… reverberating. Sora opened his eyes to find himself locking eyes with a far more feral pair of violet orbs than he had ever seen. Not only that, Tina's teeth were slowly growing out in what seemed to be fangs, her hair displacing itself from its usual wavy pattern and turning into a flowing mane-like hairstyle. However, the worst part of this phenomenon applied to her entire body, hair, clothing and even skin include. It looked to be… peeling off.

"This power… is worthless in I'ltorien!" she roared, her entire body exploding, Sora fearing she had just burned herself in her own power. Instead, something far more terrifying appeared. It had approximately the same height and build as Tina, but it was so much different. Its hair and skin were now the same tonality as the light that had covered her, pinkish violet, only its feet, hands and the very end of its hair were deep purple. Its hair was now flowing freely at the flow of its dark violet whirling aura. Both of Tina's hands and feet had become clawed and whatever clothes she had had dissipated to the wind. Sora didn't have time to worry about that last part.

"This is what power rules in this world!" without a second thought, she savagely whipped his arm around, clearly dislocating his shoulder with the mere momentum, making Sora think his arm would rip itself clean-off while his body spun around in midair. No mercy was shown by the creature as she hurled him straight into the waterfall. **"Riot Blade!"** cold water bathed Sora just before his back viciously impacted with the rock behind him. He did not fall or slide, his body had been imprinted on the rock, locking him in place. He coughed and opened his eyes, fearing the rare emotion of terror as twelve blades of violet mana crossed the waterfall in his direction, causing a massive quake as they hit.

He could not believe they had all missed… he had to thank Tina for sparing him, there was no way he could have dodged them all. However, they had passed down the message. Sora now lay on the stream of water of the pulverized side of something that had been formerly been called a waterfall. It was now barely more than a downward crevice from which water naturally flowed downwards. Sora ran down the flow and into the lake, floating into its center naturally, no thoughts appearing on his mind except the one that was created once he saw a violet light descent from above, Tina's wild violet orbs coinciding with Sora's sky blue ones.

_I am weak._

**HoL:RftA**

Sora and Kairi sat in a room late in the night with more members of the Harbingers. Tina, Ike, Elincia, Rex, Amalia and Rufus were there. Sora and Kairi had been introduced to them all when they entered. Sora still felt sour and bad about his loss to Tina. He had been doing so well, too. And then she had just destroyed him without a second thought. He felt weak for the first time in a long time.

"Okay, we talked earlier about what we thought about your trials," Tina began.

"I thought the way you got the fruit was efficient, but Tina said it was risky, so you got a medium score there," Ike began.

"Then your battle with the Lagiacrus could have been better. But you did retrieve the plate, and you showed exemplary improvement in magic. Especially you, Kairi," Elincia stated. "So, even score."

"As for your individual fights … you obviously didn't pass those BUT we did not expect either of you to win either, it was more of a rhetorical fight to have you show us your skills. But you did well enough to prove to us that you are worthy of being in the Harbingers," Rex stated.

"Will you join us?" Tina asked.

"I don't see why not," Sora said. Kairi agreed with him. They felt the weight of all the eyes bore into them as they sat there.

"Alright then, I think it's time for a celebration" Ike said. There was agreement among everyone in the room and shouts of joy.

"Now, I offered to tell you why you are here," Tina began. The room went quiet. "We don't know much of the prophecy, it wasn't written in any scroll or book and it isn't common knowledge or folklore. We just know that Tiki's mother, the Divine Dragon Naga made a covenant with the previous Ashbringer, Tyrion Fordring. When the times were darkest, she'd bring someone capable of returning the light to these lands and guide them to the Ashbringer. For all we know, you are the one Sora," she explained.

More than the weight of eyes rested on him.

"Will you help us?" Rex asked.

They took him from his friends. For all he knew, Riku could be hurt or dead. The worlds were falling one by one to Maleficent and he was stuck here because they needed him for a prophecy. And this wasn't the only one. Anuwëy, whoever that was still, gave him one, too. Why would he, in any reasoning or aspect of mind help these people that kidnapped him and Kairi?

Because why not?

"If I am this chosen one, this Harbinger of Light … then I will help you … but you must help us in return."

* * *

TUH: First thing's first ... don't take Tina's later dialogue as a reference point.

TN: I agree. Anyway, want to discuss the ass-handing?

TUH: Sure.

TN: After the trials, what do you think Sora and Kairi learned the most?

TUH: There are actual flaws when it comes to combat. Anything else?

TN: That they need to step their game up, and in a hurry.

TUH: Time to step it up, you're too slow, come on!

TN: Shhhh ...

TUH: I rolled a 20 and now you must say it.

TN: Now that I am in a groove of things at college and have a straight schedule and know what I'm doing, etc ...  
TN: Expect more frequent updates, and consistent ones at that! For realsy this time!

TUH: Question of the day! How do you think Sora and Kairi will react to their trials and what do you think their flaws were!

TN: Please answer this question in a review and we'll see you later!

*TUH leaves the room while whistling a soft tune*  
*TN turns to the camera*

TN: Also, Garce, Mikey ... I'm sorry for being the selfish prick that I was. I love you two like brothers. I promise you this.

* * *

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


	4. Ascensus Argovaron

TN: Grab some hot cocoa and some s'mores. If you have a fireplace, light a fire. We're gonna hear a story!

TUH: Don't get too comfortable ... we're going through the trash.

TN: Any of you ladies like facial hair out there? What about mustaches?

TUH: What about goatees?

TN: All of this and more in ...

TUH: This shit

* * *

"Ascensus is Latin for "Rise."  
*DISCLAIMER*

* * *

**Chapter IV**

**Ascensus Argovaron**

_I'ltorien  
__October 6, 2010_

It was finally the weekend and Sora and Kairi were allowed to spend that time to themselves.

That was what Sora was thinking as he took his magically heated bath in his room. His body was still incredibly sore from the trials, especially when Tina had used her magic and his body to destroy an entire cliff without even thinking about it. He could still see her violet eyes, staring down at him with shame and disapproval. He was weak, and they both knew it. How was he supposed to be this Harbinger of Light when he couldn't even begin to keep up with Tina?

What did that make him?

He cleared his muddled head as he stepped out of his bath and began to dry and change into his cloth clothing. The loose, white shirt was untied at the chest, showing off one or two very tiny chest hairs. He couldn't help but smile at that. He also noticed some stubble on his face; peach-fuzz his mom would call it. He laughed at himself, but then felt sad. He was growing up, becoming a man, and his mom was missing it.

"She'll barely notice me when I see her again," he said to himself with a small smile before changing into his brown pants and heavy leather boots. They had this weekend to relax before the real work began. He walked out of his room and knocked on Kairi's door, connecting his hands behind his back and started whistling while bouncing on his toes. The door opened.

"Hey you," Kairi said. She was dressed in a white blouse and blue skirt, almost like her school outfit, or at least it reminded Sora of the school.

"Hey, Kai," Sora replied as she walked out and shut her door behind her. Without him making a move, her hand intertwined with his as the sun beat into their bodies as they walked outside into the valley. The noise of everyone going about their business filled the air. Sora and Kairi had decided to go on a walk that day, to explore some of the hilly country-side that bordered the Mìelthrì Forest. The sun was shining and fluffy white clouds dotted the sky. The earth was soft underfoot.

"Sora, do you think we'll be home soon?" Kairi asked as the valley base behind them slowly shrank.

"I don't know, Kai," he replied. He did like the nature and landscape here. It was vast and open, pretty and breathtakingly beautiful in an ancient sense. Sora looked west to the forest and saw a mountain peak breaking out of the trees in the far distance. Perfect home for some dragons, if they even existed here.

"I hope we do. I miss Riku, Naminé, Roxas … all of them," she muttered.

"I wonder how long it will take to find this Ashbringer, whatever that is?" Sora said.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure that it won't take long," she retorted.

"But what if it does? Maleficent is out there destroying worlds, hurting people, and we're stuck here. How can we-" Sora was interrupted with Kairi's hand on his mouth. They had stopped their progress in the walk. With her hand still on his mouth she opened hers.

"Sora. You can't think like that. Our friends have plenty of potential and help. We need to help this world. Isn't that what matters? That we're always helping _someone_? Not just stopping Maleficent, but helping anyone in need? Isn't that you? Act like it," she said, removing her hand and using it to caress his jawline. She leaned and kissed him, and he felt that soft pressure of her lips upon his … and she was right. His thoughts melted. They broke apart just like a cloud breaks into tiny pieces.

"You're right, Kairi. I've just been …" he paused. She looked at him with a bent head and raised eyebrows.

"Been what?" she asked. He looked at her and his serious face broke into a wide goofy grin.

"Thinking on how I'm gonna beat you!" he said, jumping backward and summoning the Kingdom Key in a flare of light and particles. Kairi looked at him for a split second before backing up and summoning hers.

_I hope she doesn't take this as serious. I just want to play with her,_ Sora thought to himself. She smiled at him.

"You're going down, you brown hedgehog," she said with a laugh. They jumped toward each other, playing like little children, pretend fighting. Like kids that swung tree branches, like they knew how to sword fight, Sora and Kairi played around without really doing anything. Progressively, they picked up the pace, and the crashes of their blades had more punch behind them. Soon, they we dancing around each other, swiping this way and that.

"Fira!" Kairi shouted as she did a backflip away from Sora. He smacked away the spell with his blade.

"Thundaga!" he retorted. Bolts of lightning rained down upon her, but she cast a Reflect spell, sending the jolts into the sky in sparkling wonder.

"Firaga!" she shouted, rippling a carpet of fire underneath him. He jumped to easily avoid it, but she ran forward with a giggle and tried to swipe at him. While in the air, he propelled himself off her blade and twisted in the air to stand behind her. He brought his blade up to her throat from behind.

"I win," he whispered into her ear. She could feel his breath coat her neck.

"No, I believe I do," Kairi said, taking one hand and pulling his chin forward. She turned her head and they shared a kiss. His eyes closed in euphoria, and he lowered his Keyblade. She smiled through the kiss.

"Gotcha!" she yelled, breaking away. She lowered and swiped at his legs and he fell onto his butt on the grass. She pointed her blade at him, right in the chest. She flipped her hair back with a wide smile on her face.

"Hey! That's not fair!" he jokingly complained. Kairi giggled.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as he took his hand and pulled her wrist toward him. Their blades vanished and she tumbled into him, falling flat on his chest. His legs were bent and propped open, letting her body lay between them. Her face was inches from his and his hands met hers, intertwining. He stretched them up above his head. They looked like quite the contorted bodies.

"So, my hero. Don't I get a reward for besting you?" she asked in her mock haughty voice. He returned the gesture.

"Well, my princess, that depends. I have an idea in mind," he replied. She laughed, and her pearly white teeth shined against him.

"If you must," she said, blushing while she did so.

Sora leaned his head up and closed his eyes. She caught on instantly and kissed him. As much as he loved this sensation, he wanted to try something a bit more. This kiss was lasting, and so he took his tongue and pressed forward into Kairi's lips. There was a resistance at first, and tensing not only in her mouth, but her body. Then she relaxed and slowly opened her mouth, and he felt the very tip of her wet tongue.

He froze.

His eyes opened and hers were still closed. After a couple of odd moments, Sora withdrew from Kairi.

"Sora, what's wrong?" Kairi asked him. He was blushing redder than a tomato.

"Um … I don't know what to do from there," he admitted. And she did the one thing he had never expected: she laughed.

"Oh great! It's not only me!" she exclaimed. They both burst into laughter. Their hands broke apart, and he took that moment to wrap them around her form. Her fingers grazed through his hair.

"Um … yeah, sorry, Kai," he said a bit bashfully.

"How about this, my knight. Let's try that again," she said. She leaned down, and their lips connected again. This time her tongue pressed against his lips, and he eagerly allowed her entrance. This was something Sora couldn't quite comprehend. They lay there for a bit, exploring each other, connecting closer. Her grip in his hair tightened as his hands massaged the small of her back. There was a tingling sensation shooting through their nerves … it was a whole-body experience. He felt light as she lay on top of him. Finally, when they were running out of breath, they pulled away.

"Whoa …" he muttered. She giggled furiously.

"Whaaaat?" he responded, moving a strand of hair out of her face.

"You're too goofy and cute sometimes," she said.

"I try," he answered.

"You seem so fine now," Kairi said as she rolled off of him. They lay side-by-side and looked at the expansive sky, with its different white clouds.

"What'cha mean, Kai?" he asked. Their fingers melding into one.

"You've seemed so different lately. Sad and down. What's going on?" He lay there silently, thinking her question over. The sun crept slowly across the sky.

"I guess I'm just not used to losing," Sora replied finally.

"Well, Sora. We can't always win. But everything will be fine in the future," she reassured.

"Positive?"

She lay there silently, thinking his question over. The sun slowly crept across the sky.

"Positive."

**HoL:TS**

_Avéladré, I'ltorien_

_October 6, 2010_

Argovaron sat in his decrepit chamber, a chamber that had been collecting books for two thousand years now. If Merlin thought that he had had a lot of books, he had never met Argovaron. His chamber was a more like a massive, high-vaulted, antechamber, stacked from floor to ceiling with books and books and books … and scrolls, too. He sat at his desk, reading a book he had snatched among the immense piles. A fireplace roared behind him and reflected light off of his bald head. He scratched the stubble of beard he had, and his eyes blazed through the paper. After two thousand years of reading, you start to get fast at it.

But his mind was restless. He closed the book and leaned back in his chair. He thought about I'ltorien in its whole. _He_ ran this nation, not Mateus. Not Mateus, not the emperor before him, or the one before him, or before him and it stretches on like that for two millenia. He may never have been emperor … but who would want the same emperor for two thousand years?

Why not have the best advisor for millenia? An advisor that ran the nation for the mortal emperors that would come and go like the wind off the ocean.

"The old fool doesn't even realize that I'm the only reason the Harbingers haven't slaughtered him, that I'm the only wall dividing the vysrils from taking over this nation, that those damned beings in the mountains are still where they should be. He is my marionette, and the strings are too taut," Argovaron muttered to himself with a wide grin.

He rose from his seat and walked around to his fireplace and observed an ancient dagger resting in a glass display case. Crafted at the end of the First Age, the dagger he had killed Seltra with, the dagger that slayed a god. Well … she had been a weak god at the time. But it held the essence of a god in it, imbued into its steel, and that's why it was special. Nothing could break it, it would never dull, and it was guaranteed to kill any mortal it sliced. It had been Alrea's dagger before it became his.

He turned away from it and walked out of his chamber and he began to climb upwards to Mateus' throne room. Why not visit the child, for that was what he was to Argovaron. He suddenly felt like an old man.

"Ah, but you still know your tricks, _old man_," he whispered, becoming a living shadow and racing up the spiral staircase faster than even a nimble elf could move, becoming one with the light and dark, a shadow of a man.

"Now THIS is freedom," he laughed to himself, becoming whole again once he reached the top of the staircase. "I miss being a Dreadknight," he muttered. After some twists and turns, and receiving a ton of salutes and formalities, he finally reached the giant stone doors to Mateus' throne room. He picked up one of the large steel knockers and inquired for entrance.

"If you aren't one of my generals, you had better turn around right now," Mateus yelled from the other side of the doors with a tone of voice much more angry and serious than usual, even for him. Argovaron opened the doors with his mind.

"I must count myself lucky," he mused.

"Ah, my advisor. Advise me," Mateus ordered.

"With what matters, my lord?" Argovaron said in the most caring voice he could muster without cracking up.

"Morvlan alerted me, saying he felt two powerful presences enter I'ltorien, MY nation!" he roared. Argovaron nodded his head.

"I have felt the presences as well," he replied.

"TWO! I can barely handle those vysrils from rebelling against me, and then the Harbingers to add into the mix. Anuwëy forbid that the mountains spill their residents out into this mix" Mateus screamed.

"I do not know who these presences are, but I can try to find out," Argovaron replied with a bow.

"Well you had better hurry up about it! For what reason do I keep you around?" Mateus barked.

"I do not know, my lord. But I trust your wisdom to keep me," Argovaron lied through his teeth. He was good at it by now.

"For once you speak sense. I keep you because you're too useful. Any news on the Ashbringer?" Mateus asked.

"Morvlan is still searching with his Tower. They are trying as-"

"THEY ARE NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH!" Mateus roared, his voice echoing in the vaulted room.

"Patience my lord. This is what I advise," Argovaron said.

"Patience will not stop the Harbingers and their new _heroes_ from finding it first!" he said.

"I highly doubt they will be able to find it. Those ancient beings keep watch over it, and the last time they trusted a human was when I was young. We must wait," Argovaron suggested

"Wait!? Are you mad!? Must I replace you?" Mateus threatened.

"I merely suggest that we think out our course of action. The order of how we do things. They will die and we will obtain the weapon, we just have to see which comes first," Argovaron said. Mateus thought it over.

"If I get the Ashbringer AND they die, then do what you must. I repeat myself … you are too useful," Mateus praised, a rarity.

"You honor me," Argovaron replied with a grin.

"You're one of the few I can trust. Go get some work done," Mateus ordered.

"Of course," he replied.

_Trust is a tangible thing, my pet. _

Argovaron left and shut the stone doors behind him. He walked through the twists and turns, and just as he was about to become a living shadow, he ran into Tor one of the better officers he knew of.

"Hello, Argovaron, sir," he said with a salute and a wide grin on his face. "May I speak with you?"

Argovaron arched an eyebrow.

**HoL:RftA**

_Harbinger Base, I'ltorien_

"Pick one," Tina said as they walked into the chocobo stables. The smell of feathers, poop, and sawdust smacked Sora so hard, he took a step backward. He had also never seen a … chocobo before. It looked like a giant ostrich and canary crossbreed. They didn't chip or chirrup, no, these things _warked_ and they did it loud, too.

"Oh! They're so cute!" Kairi exclaimed, running towards one with very puffy, yellow plumage. It was immediately happy with Kairi and warked happily, wiggling on the spot in its stall. Sora looked around and picked one at random. It treated him well, but not excited like Kairi's had for her. He scratched behind its … ear? Whatever, he scratched it and smiled.

"Ike will be going with you to some surrounding villages, just so you two can see what the peoples of this nation are like. They're nice around here, out in this valley. But the cities have really bad people," Tina explained. Ike was strapping up their chocobos.

"Okay," Sora simply replied.

"Also, most people aren't fond of the Harbingers. We'll explain later. And try to be back by dusk. We have a special night planned for you two," Tina said before leaving the stables.

"Let's ride!" Ike said, having completed the harnesses.

About a minute later, they were speeding across the landscape, and very smoothly at that, too. Sora thought they must have been going as fast, if not faster than a car. And the chocobos didn't even seem bothered at all. Kairi's was happily _warking_ as Sora's just did its job. Ike was just leading the way. In another ten minutes, they were at the first village. A place called Felifar.

"Welcome to Felifar. One of our two main stocking villages. Go ahead and take a look around, but don't do anything stupid … Sora …" he added in an after-tone, before laughing and walking away. Sora looked at Kairi.

"What do you want to do?" he asked her.

"Let's just walk around," she told him. She grabbed his hand and they began to walk through the gravelly streets of the makeshift town. All the houses were low, squat and thatched. Smoke eerily bloomed from their stone chimneys, and voices erupted through the streets and market.

"Wow! You're pretty!" Sora looked over and noticed a boy at about ten ears old with black hair and vivid green eyes was ogling up at Kairi. She blushed and crouched down the boy's level.

"And you're very handsome," Kairi said in return. The boy blushed too before running away with embarrassment. Sora's face split into a wide grin.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks it," he said. She playfully slapped him in the arm, before locking hers with his and leaning into his shoulder. People, all hardworking and bustling, went through the market and streets of the town. All the buildings were wooden or stone. Sora saw someone selling ice cream.

"Come on, Kai."

They paid for their ice cream and continued to walk through the town. Down a way, they observed a group of people enter an alleyway, looking over their shoulders. Instinct kicked in for Sora and he picked up the pace to go and follow them.

"Sora, what are you doing?" Kairi asked, hushed for whatever reason. She trotted up to him as he stopped right near the alley. He placed a finger to his mouth and peered around the corner. The group huddled together. Sora opened his ears … figuratively, of course.

"Did you hear how Bélafor was destroyed?" a woman hissed.

"Yeah, and the empire was behind it. They ordered a hundred men to do it, and during the annual festival, too," a large man grumbled.

"Mateus," a thin man spat at the name. "Mateus is eyeing this village too. He suspects that we're helping the Harbingers."

"We ARE, you simpleton," another short, squat woman said.

"But what if he finds out? He may be angry enough to send them monsters out to find us," another man said. Sora finally got interested.

"What monsters?" he said loudly, turning the corner with no heed as to what he was doing. Kairi grabbed at his wrist but she missed, being forced to then follow him.

"SHH! Tryin' to get us killed?" the fat man said.

"No, I was just wondering what monsters you were talking about," Sora repeated.

"SHH!" three of the group hissed. "Mateus has ears and eyes everywhere."

"Oh! Okay," Sora said, dropping his voice and squatting.

"What're ye doin', boy?" the fat one asked.

"Being … sneaky," Sora answered. All but one of the group groaned. One man chuckled.

"I like the lad. Answer his question," he said. The squat woman nodded.

"Mateus has a regiment of monsters in human skin. They're fierce, trained to murder mercilessly," she said.

"How do you know this?" Kairi asked, finally finding her voice in the matter.

"I worked in the empire once upon a time," she said. "I worked in the facility that they kept them beasties in. Back when I had … _him_ … as a boss," she said, shuddering.

"Him who?" Sora asked.

"Kefka Palazzo …" she whispered with fear. Sora snapped his head to Kairi with sudden fear in his heart. _Kefka was HERE!?_

"What is it, boy, you look like ye seen a ghost?" the fat man asked.

"No, I've just heard the name before. Is Kefka still here?" he asked.

"Nah. He went berserk and destroyed a massive part of the facility and left. That was also the day she escaped," the squat woman said.

"Who is she?" Kairi asked. Sora had a feeling.

"Back in the facility, every monster had a number to sort 'em." Kairi instantly grabbed Sora's hand. She knew, too.

"And the craziest, darkest, most powerful of these monsters. The beast they all feared … she was number One."

"T-"

"Sora! Kairi!" Ike called from the alleyway. Sora shook out of his trance. "C'mon, we're leaving," Ike ordered. Sora and Kairi waved at the group they had found.

"Alleys aren't the nicest places to be found in," Ike said. Sora and Kairi merely followed, too stunned to speak.

Later that day, Sora, Kairi, and Ike returned to the base and washed up for dinner. Once they ate, Sora and Kairi were asked to go outside to the recreation grounds. A large group of people were crowded around a large bonfire blazing brightly. Sora and Kairi noticed a seat saved for them upfront … right in front of Rex, the leader of the Harbingers.

"Ah, hello you two. Take the seats, you don't want to be standing for what's coming," he said. The people all around did the same, taking various spots on the trampled ground. Everyone they had met was there, along with a lot of other people. Rex cleared his throat as they took their seats, Kairi immediately curling into Sora.

"This story isn't told often, and I'm certainly not gonna tell something as boring again if you just sleep through it, so listen carefully. The story of I'ltorien.

"Before men came to this land, there were the elves. And before the elves, there was the first darkness, a darkness inhabited by dwarves that lived in their mountains, digging ever deeper for their riches. Deep in the recesses of the forest and mountains, mystical beings lived, rarely being seen, almost to the point where they were a legend. They were the espers. Among these races, there resided two gods over this land, living among the mortal world, Ahkthra and his wife Seltra. They ruled this new dark land with their eight children, the vysrils.

"Ahkthra and Seltra were two gods that lived alongside Anuwëy the Creator, Gan the Embodiment of All, Enuo the Master of Nothing, and some others. Ahkthra and Seltra … these two were the gods of Darkness, and when the worlds tore apart, and men found greed, they spread their evil like a foul wind through the hearts of all, and there it waited. They were the true creators of the Heartless.

"In these dark times, before the elves, the vysrils and their parents lived in a endless reign of peace, or rather, a peace by their standards. The espers never fled but chose not to be involved, and went to lands far away from this. Only a few remained behind, in case the rest were ever needed again. And they were a thousand years later.

"Finally, the land was exposed to the elves, and their leader, Nuviera. He brought thousands with him on elegant ships from his original land, destroyed by the darkness that Seltra herself had created. When they arrived, Seltra and her brood showed no hostility. Instead, she welcomed them. As we all know, the elves are fond of nature, and soon, they took the Mìelthrì Forest as their new home, and then began to give names to what we know now. They created the first language commonly used in the land, for the dwarves and espers were still recluse.

"The elves forged great cities around the land, and at first, all was fine. Seltra found that she enjoyed their free labor, and as long as they continued to better her world, then she would never harm them. Eventually, the espers returned. They still kept more or less to themselves, but they returned nonetheless. The dwarves also emerged, and began constructing great cities of stone in the Zenthir mountains. For the first time in such a long time there was peace among races.

"And then … the humans arrived, and just like the elves, it was because they had lost their land, or at least, this particular group had lost everything. Their leader was a man named Argovaron. The humans came and brought the darkness within their hearts. A darkness that was fresh in all the worlds, back when they had split so long ago." Rex paused and took a drink of ale. Sora noticed a flash in Tina's eyes at Argovaron's name. Rex sat his mug down and continued. Before that, Sora thought back to a memory he had shared with Kairi, a memory of her grandmother. She had told him about the birth of darkness in the hearts of men.

"Well, at first, the humans were well received. The espers, elves, dwarves and even Seltra welcomed them into I'ltorien. It was they, the humans, that began to inhabit the land and valleys, the rivers and plains. I'ltorien was full of life, and each race had its own ruler. There was no emperor or king, just simply a ruler that took govern of each race. Nuviera for the elves, Argovaron for the humans, and Guthar for all of the dwarven clans as a whole. As for Ahkthra and Seltra … they ruled all.

"And for ten years since the humans arrived, there was peace. Then the Zexlites were born.

"The Zexlites are the demonic spawn of Seltra … even more demonic than the vysrils. I do not know how they were born, but I do know it was at the cost of one of the vysrils' hearts. These beings these hellish ghouls … there were hundreds of them. And they were a terror that ruined the peace of this world. As fast as lightning and as cunning as smoke, they murdered. They could form the mass of a man, twelve feet tall, but then transform into pure shadow, able to slay their prey in seconds at super speed and stealth. They could cause firestorms and rip straight through feet of metal with their claws.

"They were the primordial Heartless. The first, or one of the first, species of Heartless to ever exist, and are some of the most powerful Heartless to ever exist. They were a breed of a vysril, the darkness in a human heart, and the blood of Seltra. When the worlds were torn apart, Seltra and her husband fled the other gods, and resided here, and gave birth to the first Heartless. They were almost unstoppable … until the Dreadknights were founded.

"The Dreadknights were warriors of old, back when magic was abundant, when anyone could use it and were just starting to learn it. But, even though anyone could use it, they were always weak. They were fresh, inexperienced. It was because of the natural sources from the gods, the espers and the elves, all intermixed. But it was mainly because of the presence of the gods. Their magic mixed with the very land, and so, even a commoner could cast a simple spell. But that's all it was … simple. They needed training.

"Argovaron took those that were strong enough, those that had studied deep in the Mìelthrì, and amassed an army of the most powerful human mages he could muster, even himself. He taught them the ways of the Dreadknight, a warrior whose soul purpose was to dispose of Darkness, the Zexlites. A warrior that could use their own power against them. They could use the power of darkness and shadow to fight the Heartless, and they used their inner light to vanquish them. It is said that Anuwëy created the Keyblade in their image, but that is just a fable. These warriors were the first warriors of light.

"As you can guess … Seltra was not happy about this."

As Rex took another swig of ale, Sora couldn't help but feel goosebumps on his arms, and it wasn't from the cold either. This tale was mesmerizing.

"And so, the Great War of the First Age began. In Ahkthra and Seltra's ire, they waged war on not only the humans, but all races of I'ltorien in one cataclysmic war. All the races of I'ltorien banded together to fight the gods and their Heartless, the first Heartless to ever exist. The Zexlites burned cities to the ground, murdered men, women and children, poisoned rivers they touched, killed plants they tread upon … they were a blight that spread across the land. The Dreadknights fought back, led by Argovaron himself. The vysrils suddenly vanished, and it is now known because they did not wish to interfere with the war. The espers, though, hated humans from that day on, for it was because of our mistakes, that many of them were slaughtered or imprisoned. So many were taken by Seltra herself.

"The dwarves, elves and common men marched to the Alrea Plains, named after the leader of the armies. Alrea, the great commander of the resistance. She has been sung by the bards and written in the greatest texts of our times as one of the most powerful and bravest leaders to ever live. Upon the Alrea plains, the armies fought Ahkthra, Seltra, and their army of Heartless they had summoned. The battle lasted for seven months. Alrea was slain before the armies began to move, killed with her own dagger by Seltra. By that time, the battle had moved to the home of Seltra … the Tower of Ahkthra.

"It was here, that the Zexlites, those that remained, retreated in one final defense. Argovaron, Nuviera and Guthar lead the battle in. Then, there hadn't been a lake around the tower, and so, a massive battle raged all around it. Men and women were slain by Heartless. Heartless were slain by men and women. Argovaron, Nuviera and Guthar entered the tower, where they were met by the seven remaining vysrils. The vysrils pledged to help them end the menace that was their parents. And so they climbed that forsaken tower.

"They first came across Ahkthra, and it was said that the battle with him lasted a whole day. The vysrils slayed their own father, and lost half of their godly powers. They fell, weakened, and lay their in his blood, dark and hot. The three leaders pushed onward to the very top. There they found Seltra, awaiting them in her throne room."

Rex hunched over the fire, and the light flickered in his dark brown eyes. His voice dropped to a husk.

"In what must have been a grand battle, Guthar was slain. Nuviera had been left unconscious, leaving only Argovaron left in this fight … and Seltra was weak. All of her power had been put into the war, and the seven month battle. She was losing her strength … and Argovaron knew it. This is a famous part that we even know the words to:

"It was this: _'Surrender, Seltra, and accept your fate. The peoples of I'ltorien have rose against their demon Queen. You are nothing more than a weak tree before the onslaught of a fearsome storm. Accept your death with some dignity._

_ 'You think I am going to die so easily? I am only but weakened by you and your pathetic excuse of an army! HE will give me my former strength! HE will give me the power to tear your soul from your very being and devour you like the mortal you are! E-'_

_ 'You are mistaken, prepare to die by my hand … the hand of all free races.'_

"And he rushed forward as a shadow as dark as her mind, with his steel sword in hand … and she vanished."

The crowd was silent. Sora could only hear the crackling of the fire and his own heartbeat, going a million miles and hour.

"So … what happened next?" Sora begged.

"Ever heard of a dramatic pause?" Rex replied with a chuckle. The group laughed. Sora instantly shut up, and so did everyone else once Rex cleared his throat again.

"Argovaron, became whole again with confusion. She then reappeared behind him. _'And I'm taking you with me,'_ she whispered.

"He felt her arms grasp him, as she vaulted out of the glass window and soared across the sky to the what is now known as the Trench of Seltra. Then, it was not full of water. It was just a dark chasm that had no bottom to it. No one had ever returned from it in all these thousands of years, except for one man … Argovaron.

"They plunged through the darkness for countless miles, swirling and twisting, practically fist fighting each other. She was becoming weaker and weaker. He knew he could kill her. In one sweeping attempt, he reached for a dagger, Alrea's dagger. The same dagger Seltra had killed Alrea with. He took it, and plunged it deep into her dark heart and wrenched it back out. In a howling scream, Seltra bled and dissolved into ash. And together, they fell. A broken man and the scattered ashes of a dead goddess.

"When Nuviera awoke, he helped the vysrils trap all the rest of the Zexlites into the trench with the power of the Luxarian Orb, the device the gods had used to control them. Together, all the races with all the magic they could muster joined around the trench, and sealed it forever. Then, as the elves are who they are, filled the trench with water like it should be. The only think that could ever break that seal would be Morvlan, the eldest vysril, and even he has said that would take a high sacrifice. As for all the other lesser Heartless, they were hinted one by one as men learned to control and beat the darkness in their hearts.

"And so, The Second Age began with a hundred years of peace and reconstruction began. The espers resided in the mountains with the dwarves, the only race they fully trusted at the time. After the misfortune the wars had brought, they did not trust the elves or humans ever again. But, after a hundred years, far off in the Valley of Mist … Argovaron returned, and he was immortal. No one knows how except for him, and you would never get that answer out of him. Since then, he has lived for two thousand years, but we shall get to that in a bit."

Another swig of ale.

"When he returned, things were well for another couple hundred years. But hostility broke out among the dwarves. Their new king had been slain, and war broke out between all the clans. They took two sides, and war broke out between them. Then the humans went to war with the elves, because they lost the ways of controlling their thoughts and emotions. Argovaron did not want this, for he liked the elves and was fond of them. But, he cannot control every human under his reign, and was dragged into a war against his will. And so, the Great War of the Second Age began, and lasted for nineteen years. Heartless roamed the lands, born from the hearts of men.

"It all boiled down to Argovaron and Nuviera who had once been close friends. They clashed swords and souls in Tarathor, a city on the great lake of Tiale. There, they fought for eight days in a grand battle of magic and swordsmanship. Argovaron was and still is one of the most elite of swordsman, and his magic surpasses nearly every human and elf and some of the espers. There are some espers, I reckon, that could take him on. Still, he fought Nuviera for days, and in the end killed him on the sunrise of the ninth day. He took Nuviera's head in his hands and cried, and he himself conducted the pyre funeral for the elf. He anguished in sorrow, and fell into a state of immense sadness to all the death the war had brought. He took Nuviera's sword as not only a trophy, but as a memento of a true friend. It was a sword that changed colors depending on the wielder's emotions.

"He then decided to end the war. He forced the dwarves to stop, giving one side of many clans the northern mountains, and all the other clans the southern mountains. The espers stayed with the southern clans, and the vysrils had actually completely stayed out of the war. The elves and animal tribes went to live in the forest, and humans took hold of the land. Thus, the end of the Second Age and the beginning of the Third Age began. An age to yearn to vanquish the Heartless across the land.

"From that day onward, Argovaron was never the leader again. An emperor has always taken his throne, and he has quietly stood by as the advisor. And that, my two guests, my two new Harbingers, is the story of I'ltorien."

There was a crushing silence around them.

"Wow … that … was awesome," Sora said. The story had left him in a trance almost.

"So why are you rebelling against the current emperor?" Kairi asked.

"If you look at the definition of scum in I'ls dictionary, everything you see probably applies to him. A maniac like him can't remain on the throne for long… no matter the cost," Rex said.

"Okaaaay … but I still have one question: what's the Ashbringer?" Sora asked. Rex looked over his shoulder to someone. Tiki came forth.

"That, Sora, is a tale for another day. A story that only I witnessed, and something I'll pass on when I feel you're ready for it. Until that point, it's your job to wait and get better," she said. Sora nodded.

"And that's basically how heartless were vanquished from this land. And what Tiki made me memorize to a T. I thought I was going to grow an aristocratic wig from all the dramatic fanfare I had to spout. So, will you help us, kid? A Dreadknight of your time, eh?" he said with a chuckled. Sora merely nodded.

"It's late now. Go get some rest you two. You begin work as Harbingers soon enough," Rex said. The crowd dispersed.

"Gee, Kai! I'm really tired," Sora said as he stretched and yawned.

"I am, too. That story was amazing. Could you imagine fighting Argovaron?" she asked.

"Nope," was his simple reply, and he truly meant it.

**HoL:RftA**

_Avéladré  
__October 14, 2010_

The time had come for King's plan to be put into its life or death test. It was a rudimentary plan, one that King cursed himself repeatedly for depending on, but it was also a plan that, unlike the other, far more elaborate plans he had concocted, had a chance of success in the time frame given to King. He had had little over a month to prepare his escape, in that time he had needed not only to plan it but to prepare it for execution. Not much had to actually be prepared to tell the truth, again, the plan was as simple as one could imagine it being.

King had simply moved his guard shift to as deep into the night as he could, taking it to midnight, where one would expect him to guard until eight in the morning. It wasn't even close to the same wall as the one he had prepared to escape from, it was in the city's armory, in the direct opposite direction to the southeast. He knew this would be, easily, one the least populated parts of the empire as no one was dumb enough to try and steal from Mateus. Being lucky to find more than a handful of guards posted there considering how many had been shifted to rebuilding what was left of the wall outside, meaning that once his shift kicked in, it was just a matter of knocking out three or four guys and then jumping into the sewers. No one ever checked for them during the night unless requested, hence, he'd raise no suspicion until he was out of the citadel.

Well, at least if he could escape the northwestern side unscathed, but that would be relatively easier with a Vanish spell and the darkness.

His plan in essence was very simple. Check into the shift, wait for the exchange to occur, knock them all out, slip into the sewers where Celes would be waiting, traverse them until they reach the marked lid, and finally slither their way through the wall's interior and jump off the top, vanishing into the night.

For that, he had come to the shift five minutes earlier than the others. Reason is, the guards were far more lax on the last five minutes than during the turn shift, allowing him to get past them with a Vanish'd Cuore under his cloak, hiding her behind inside an empty crate. Ten minutes later, the girl was replaced by the completely out cold bodies of five soldiers.

It was on.

"Wow Big Bro, you really did a number on them!" Cuore exclaimed, a shush from King coming right after, as a sign to lower her tone. While they were already safer than ever, they couldn't make a commotion and draw attention to the armory.

"They have to stay down for eight hours. I didn't really have a choice. Now, put on your Vanish cloak, I'll go down first and, if it's safe, I want you to hover down, alright?" he told the little girl, who nodded enthusiastically. She was finally going to meet her parents… and would bring her new brother and sister along!

King landed in the sewer moments after jumping, taking his Quel'Serrar and igniting it with the blaze of his Spellblade: Fire, the shimmering flames lighting up the massive tunnel that composed the sewer line. The Garamsythe Waterway. The architecture of it was simple but refined, the sludge-like water washed over in the center of two stone walks made to grant people ways through the sewers without having to trudge through the waste. This was made to give cleaners and guards an easier time as well as make the sewers a suitable place to hide civilians during war times. Well… at least it had been before.

"It's clear!" King shouted, a giggle coming from Cuore as she leapt down the hatch, closing the lid with her magic and floating downwards slowly. As King waited, his mind drifted again to the letter that Orlandeu had gave him, the final request of his master and teacher. He removed it from his right pocket, examining it as he wondered just who this letter was addressed to.

All it was written in the front was:

_"From: Madeleine Branford._

_ To: My beloved daughter"_

He had no idea of anyone named Branford, much less this Madeleine's daughter, however, he would find her or her daughter one way or the other as soon as he met Christina and guaranteed she was alright. It was the least he could do for his master.

"Big Bro, where'll we meet Sissy Cel?" Cuore asked him as she landed, making him restore the letter to his pockets while turning towards the girl. Whatever he was going to say was lost however.

"As I've said, I don't appreciate that name Cuore. I'd prefer you calling me either Celes or Sister. Really, anything but Sissy Cel will do," Celes said as she appeared from her Vanish cloak right next to King, looking at him with an annoyed look for missing her approach.

"Sure thing Sis Celly!" Cuore exclaimed, knowing full well that this was going to tick Celes off. However, the blonde managed to control herself and keep her icy expression, if only to spite Cu, who pouted moments later.

"You're here early," King told his sister in name only, who nodded back at him before shooting a snide smile.

"I simply was efficient enough to pick the stables. Only one guard is dispatched to the interior of the stables hence I didn't even need to worry about dispatching them," she told him victoriously. King had tried to get the stables too, but he had been told someone else had specifically requested them just a day before him. Only made him wonder if Celes had been planning an escape all along. "Oh, and I brought you this!" she told him, a loud _wark_ filling the tunnels.

King was shocked to see the glimmering white plumage of his chocobo, Stardust, reflect his flames and lighting up the waterway even further. Unknowingly, he started caressing the plumage of the friend he thought he'd have left behind in the Empire, the Chocobo he had raised ever since she was just a little chick. Yet, he looked at Celes, knowing that she knew what this meant.

"I think Stardust knew what we were trying. She wouldn't let me into the sewers without me promising to take her with me. She was really the reason we got here so fast so… she can be useful, if hard to move about," she told him, stroking the plumage too, adding:

"If you are wondering just how I got her through the sewer hatch, I cast Mini on her. It worked pretty well!" just as she said that, the Chocobo warked even louder and pecked King's head with her normal feistiness before cuddling onto him. It was at that moment King understood there was no way he could leave Stardust behind.

"Alright. If we're taking Stardust, we'd better take advantage of it. Star, think you can take the three of us?" He asked his feathery companion. Normal chocobos had a two passenger limit at most, but White Chocobos were far larger than a yellow one, making the answer a prolific yes from the bird. "Thank you. Everyone, hop aboard!"

King had to admit, this was actually more a boon to his plan than an unknown flaw to it. Stardust was insanely fast, blitzing through the ancient labyrinth of the waterway like a flaming inferno of white, leaving none of his denizens to even understand what had just happened.

Ah yes, the denizens. Well, as we all know by now, the waterway was made for people to be able to even live on in times of need. Yet, no guard dared step one foot into the sewers of the capital, hell, not one person did. The answer was simple.

Monsters. Not a few, either. No one had known how they had first appeared… well, none of the population. The sewers had been the victims of the facility's countless experiments. Either the experiments themselves drifted there, the waste mutated the beings in the sewer, or even the change of environment called forth monsters from the outside to infiltrate it, truth was, the sewers were simply put, a monster nest.

Now, this wouldn't matter for King and the others, would it? Stardust had amazingly managed to get them past any and all threats. Well…

"Get away from me you classy abomination!" exclaimed a voice just to the right of the tunnel Stardust was blitzing through. King immediately pulled the reigns.

"Brother, we don't have time for-" Celes told him, but she knew it was useless. King's knight mode had gone into full throttle, he was already shooting towards where the distress call had come from. He didn't care to think it was a trap, a waste of time or too dangerous. If there was the smallest chance of an innocent being in danger, he was going to jump into the scene, no matter what. Using Stardust, they ran after him, keeping up with the sprinting general on the front, just in time to see what they were up against.

Malboros. Giant, green, tentacled plants with an anemone-like head, very large mouths, insane appetite and horrendous breath. Originating from the depths of the Valley of the Mist, these strange predators were as deadly as they smelled foul. Using the putrid scent emanating from their mouths, they'd shut down most of their prey's senses before overpowering with their tentacles and eating them alive. A tactic this vile only reflected most Malboro's equally horrendous outer appearance.

This one, however, was, for the lack of better words, classy as FUCK.

You see, this Malboro was a kind of Malboro that had ascended beyond the plebian species they had come from and reached the pinnacle of their evolutionary stage. The Malboro Overking. Its hide had grown hard to the very point of petrification, and it wore a silver crown studded with a glittering gemstone for each year of its life, hundreds numbering in this particular one's giant crown. Most importantly, it had grown a large, twirly, classy and truly stupendously euphoric mustache. Truly a king among foul-smelling vegetables.

King quickly detected, even though his aura of charisma, that there was indeed a small figure cloaked in a dark violet cloak and hood leaned against a wall, coughing heavily as the Overking approached for the kill. He needed no more proof that there was someone in need of saving. Removing his fire enchantment from his sword, he instead focused his most natural power onto it, leaping a good twenty meters and slashing down at the sophisticated monstrosity with a bellowing:

"Eternal Coffin!" at first, the slash seemed to only barely nick into the Malboro's titanium-like skin, doing little more than gain it's royal attention, yet Celes knew this to be the end for the monarch. As she had seen many times before against its lower ilk, from the scar came a wave of crystal that quickly threaded through its entire body, encasing it for eternity in a coffin of crystal. The Malboro's final roar was one that, if his appearance was anything like his vocabulary, could be translated as simply:

"Bollocks. You have done me in, old chap!"

In the middle of this swift duel between gentlemen, the figure had stood up from its position, rushing over to King. By the time it, or better, she arrived, King saw that the hood had fallen backwards, revealing a teenage girl, a couple of years younger than him, her light forest green hair fell around her face in a choppy style, twisting and curling ever so slightly. No strand went beyond her jawline. It was uneven all about the head, giving her a messy look.

Her green eyes and hair color dug into the back of King's brain as he tried to remind himself where he had seen such a combination, yet the girl's hyper active hopping stopped him from concentrating.

"Thank you, thank you! That was awesome! Where did you get those moves? I'd love to go 'eternal coffin' on those things too!" she exclaimed, horribly mimicking King's chant in the process. She rained down so many questions towards him that he could barely bring himself to respond, Celes being the one to have to rescue him.

"Excuse me, but I think that you owe us a couple of explanations," Celes told her, her icy gaze causing the girl to shiver for a bit before saluting in response. "Good, first, who are you, what's your name, and why are you here?!"

"My… name? Well… I was called, what was it? Two thousand something something back before Kefka went kablowyee on the facility, but the name I gave myself was so much better I forgot! Name's Morgan. Been living in these sewers to escape the guards. It's not that bad really, I just got careless after seeing that guy's mustache. Did you see that? Perfection incarnate!" she spoke like she was literally all over the place, but she kept to herself with her large book tucked between both hands, smiling all the way through. Just the mention of her being an experiment completely changed the trio's panorama on her. They knew that that excitement and contentment had to be hiding something more. Something… deeper and darker. Something they all carried between them. They could feel it just from being around her, "Morgan" wasn't a normal human.

"Celes I-" King began, Celes shaking her head and nodding.

"I know… just this once, go for it," under normal circumstances, they would have left her behind, but the kinship they felt was too much to bear. They had to…

"Morgan, how would you like to see the outside of the capital?" he asked, suggesting just what he appeared to be.

"I can't even put it in words! What, you guys got a way out?!" she asked, stars practically replacing her eyes just at the mention of it. As King nodded, she hopped once, twice, trice. "Count me in. Lead the way!" she told them, jumping on Stardust immediately, something King or Celes just sighed about. The bird seemed a bit annoyed to carry four people, but considering one of them was a child and the other was of a smaller than average statue, she'd live.

"Pity we have to leave that cool mustache guy behind…" Cuore said with a sigh, Morgan reciprocating.

"Yeah… and he made such an awesome statue too," she told her, shocking both Celes and King.

"He tried to eat you!" they both shouted, to which Morgan and Cu raised their eyebrows, asking:

"Yeah, and? Those are just… the Rules of Nature!" they said, high-fiving in the process. King and Celes just started to hope they could keep quiet enough for them to actually get out scot-free.

As previously stated, Stardust's speed was enough to get them through the rest of the Garamsythe Waterway without any monster even having the reflex to detect them. Following the motions he had acquired from this past month, along with using Scan on a map of the Waterway while focusing on the mark he had left, King and Celes quickly arrived at their destination, merely half an hour after leaving.

First, they dismounted the chocobo, Celes' Mini Spell causing the bird to turn into a miniature of itself, small enough to fit even the pockets in Morgan's cloak, something she offered to do immediately. Then, they cast a veil of Vanish on everyone immediately, taking precautions before entering the guardsmen's building on the wall. Finally, King climbed up, removing the lid carefully and peaking about the storage room. The emptiness of it brought relief into King's heart as he called his entourage up.

It was ironic how that very emptiness caused King the very opposite feeling only a few minutes later.

You see, while they could not talk through their infiltration attempt, only knowing where each other were due to a Scanga spell Celes had cast which allowed them to see through both walls and their veils, they all had the same feeling.

Everything was too empty.

No soldiers, no guards, no civilians, no animals. Nothing. The tower was deserted.

King had no idea what to make of this. His mind jumped into all horrible conclusions that could come, but he knew one thing. One thing that kept them going. They were way past the point of salvation. If they knew they were trying to escape, turning back would do nothing. He could only pray for this to just be a very, very convenient situation.

They obviously reached their destination easily and swiftly, the door to the stairway into the top of the wall. They crossed it King shutting the door behind them. The stairway was still a long way to go up, so, while they did not dispel their gowns, they shared a small trade of words.

"It's quiet… too quiet," Morgan said, only half-jokingly. As much of a cliché as it was, that was how everyone had felt.

"I do have an awful feeling about this, it's uneasy how… easy this is being. Every general drills their guards to their best, the fact that none are here…" Celes began, yet King just started to move. "Brother?"

"Even if this is a trap, we already sprung it. No use in waiting for it to activate," he told them as he kept walking up the stairway.

"Bro's right… as always! Let's go!" Cuore exclaimed, racing after brother. Morgan and Celes shared one last look before doing the same. The stairway felt like one that was headed for heaven. Freedom from the hell of a citadel lay on the end of it, the heartbeats of everyone intensifying with every step. Each imagining their lives outside the border, their desires, their dreams…

All for it to come crashing down.

As Celes and Morgan approached the duo, they saw that they were not only stopped, but they also had their mantles dispelled. Celes knew they had a situation. She knew she would have to take her freedom in exchange for someone's life.

What she did not, could not expect, were Cuore's words.

"Tor…" she called, her eyes paralyzed as she saw the dark haired young man on the other side of the wall, his dark green eyes dead in their gaze, only a machine's soul remaining. She had only heard of how terrifying his eyes were when this side of him came into light. Stories she thought Celes had exaggerated.

Yet, there he was, standing between them and freedom. Celes' eyes were burning in a cold flare. Ironic how King's eyes didn't even seem to register Tor. No. He had set his eyes on another man.

"Argovaron… how did you know?" he asked the bald right hand to Mateus whilst he massaged his silver goatee.

"Come now my dear Frost King, I do not take you for a fool. A thankless brat that does not know its place? Yes. Icarus himself reaching for the sun? One could say that. A fool? Never," he replied to King, his eyes ever so slightly swiping to Tor. King's emotions and thoughts had turned into a cyclone.

"But the how is not important. The why is. I am here to be your last host. I offer you a last chance in exchange for only… entertainment. A simple duel. Best me and I myself will take you into the farthest corner of I'ltorien. Fail and… You'll wish that my Icularo would have pierced your heart as I deliver you to Mateus," with that said, he unsheathed his sword. The Icularo brimmed a bright red in the dark night, the moon soaking into it. Anger. But within the red, swirls of dark sea blue flickered, showing the sense of betrayal he was feeling. Also, barbed strips of a hyper-electric yellow raced around it, showing his excitement at the same time. In the night, it blared like a fire at his hand.

Argovaron then threw back his robe, and in a flash or dark light, a new attire shone. It was something King and Celes had seen only once, and that was when Argovaron and Orlandeu had decided to "spar." It was regal. His clothing was a deep purple, covering all of his body, up to the neck. Now on top of that was a shining set of steel armor lined with gold. A steel chestplate with a golden diamond core rested above steel leggings and boots. Black gloves gripped his sword while steel gauntlets ran up his arms. Large, black steel pauldrons held a thick, heavy cape onto his back. The outside of the cape was black with a white scripture on it. The inside was a deep purple. The advisor rotated his shoulders, apparently barely weighed down by the massive armor set. He smiled and invited King in:

"Now, shall we beg-"

"**Rozan… Ryū Hi Shō!**" King roared, Argovaron had not been able to see nothing but a golden dragon engulfing him.

Freedom always comes at a price.

Blood.

* * *

Rozan Ryū Hi Shō: Rozan's Soaring Mountain Dragon

TUH: What an explosive ending.

TN: Looks like Argo is going to get his shit kicked in.

TUH: He was asking for it.

TN: He literally was, Herald ...

TUH: Question of the Day!  
TUH: First: What did you think of the world's lore and how it tied into Kingdom Hearts?  
TUH: Second: What did you think of the escape?  
TUH: Third: How do you think that Argovaron and Tor (that dick) will fare?

TN: Until next time!

* * *

May the Love of Anuwëy guide you when all Hope is lost

TorNathan  
The Unknowing Herald


End file.
